On August 13, the Environment Ministry of India notified the Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021, which prohibits specific single-use plastic items that have “low utility and high littering potential by 2022. Under this rule, the manufacture, sale, and use of a range of plastic products will be prohibited from July 1, 2022.
The new rule has also increased the permitted thickness of polythene bags. India further strengthened its fight against plastic pollution by launching a Plastic Pact in September. The Plastic Pact, the first of its kind in Asia, is a platform to promote a circular economy for plastic. It is a collaborative initiative that aims to bring together businesses, governments and NGOs to reduce, reuse, and recycle plastics in their value chain. With the pact, India aims to make 100% of the plastic packaging to be reusable or recyclable before 2030.
A National Level Taskforce has also been constituted by the Ministry for taking coordinated efforts to eliminate identified single-use plastic items and effective implementation of Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016.
The State /UT Governments and concerned Central Ministries/Departments have also been requested to develop a comprehensive action plan for the elimination of single-use plastics and effective implementation of Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016 and its implementation in a time-bound manner.
Directions under Section 5 of Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, have been issued to all States/Union Territories inter alia for setting up for institutional mechanism for strengthening enforcement of Plastic Waste Management (PWM) Rules, 2016.
The Government has also been taking measures for awareness generation towards the elimination of single-use plastics and effective implementation of Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016. A two-month-long Awareness Campaign of Single-Use Plastic 2021 has been organized. The Ministry has also organized a pan India essay writing competition on the theme for spreading awareness among schoolchildren.
To encourage innovation in the development of alternatives to identified single-use plastic items and digital solutions to plastic waste management, the India Plastic Challenge – Hackathon 2021, has been organized for students of Higher Educational Institutions and startups recognized under Startup India Initiative.
Credit : Net Indian
Picture Credit : Google
