India outlawed the production, import, stockpiling, distribution, sale, and use of specific single-use plastic items beginning on July 1 of this year.
Plastic plates, cups, glasses, cutlery (such as forks, spoons, knives, straws, trays), stirrers, earbuds with plastic sticks, balloon sticks made of plastic, flags made of plastic, candy sticks, ice cream sticks, decorations made of thermocol, wrapping films for sweet boxes, invitation cards, cigarette packets, and banners made of plastic or PVC that were smaller than 100 microns were all on the lengthy list of prohibited items.
The July rule left packaging plastic off the list of prohibited goods, despite the fact that it was intended to reduce the nation’s rising plastic pollution. What’s more, companies were made responsible for recycling their plastic packaging waste under Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR).
The central government announced regulations to alter Schedule II of the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, on February 16, 2022. The new regulations clearly outlined the EPR requirements and how they were to be implemented. It was made clear that if EPR targets are not met by manufacturers, importers, and brand owners to improve the quality of the environment, environmental compensation shall be imposed on the polluters in accordance with the Polluter Pays Principle. They were required to submit their action plan to the CPCB as well as compulsorily register via the centralised web portal.
However, the fact that so few are following the EPR regulation and so few have enrolled on the centralised web site is grounds for concern. Their actions are therefore still unaccounted for. The CPCB and other departments concerned don’t know how much plastic waste they are collecting, segregating, recycling and what their infrastructure is.
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