Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2021
Government notified amendments in the Plastic Waste Management Rules, in August and September 2021, get a glimpse of these changes in our blog.
The Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFCC) notified the Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules 2021 on 12th August this year. The rules were amended once again on 17th September 2021. Our blog will give you an overview of some of the changes made to the rules. The amendment highlights the steps taken to reduce the plastic pollution caused by plastic products in everyday life. There have been some changes in the definitions of terms, check the notifications in detail here.
The Amendment published on 12th August 2021 mentions the following points about the thickness of plastic carry bags:
- The thickness of plastic carry bags need to be
75 microns from 30th September 2021
120 microns from 31st December 2022 compared to 50 microns at present.
- This rule also states that the non-woven plastic carry bags shall not be less than 60 Gram Per Square Meter (GSM) with effect from the 30th of September 2021.
- These rules won’t have any impact on the states where single-use plastic carry bags are already banned irrespective of the thickness in microns.
Under the same rule the manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of the products made of single-use plastic, polystyrene and expanded polystyrene shall be prohibited from 1st July, 2022. This includes
- Earbuds with plastic sticks, plastic sticks for balloons, plastic flags, candy sticks, ice-cream sticks, polystyrene [Thermocol] for decoration.
- Plates, cups, glasses cutlery, wrapping or packaging films around sweet boxes
- Invitation cards, cigarette packets, plastic or PVC banners less than 100 micron, stirrers.
The amendment published on 17th September 2021 focuses on the following points:
- The carry bags made of recycled plastic or products made of recycled plastic can be used for storing, carrying, dispensing, or packaging ready to eat or drink foodstuff subject to clearance from Food Safety and Standards Authority of India.
There has been confusion in the industry because of these rules and their practicality. It will take some time for the impact of the rules to be seen given the confusion and the concerns of the industry.
Contributed by- Zeba Asif, Manager and Ashlesha Karande, Communication Executive at Social Lab
Social Lab Environmental Solutions is a waste management company, which helps brands take-back and scientifically dispose of post-consumer plastic waste of their products. Brands take our services to fulfill Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) obligation under Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2018.
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