India’s Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2024

India’s Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2024

News: Recently, The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has introduced a new set of amendments to India’s Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2024.

Background:
 Under these revised regulations, stricter guidelines have been put in place for manufacturers of disposable plastic items. 
 Notably, the rules tighten the criteria for labeling products as ‘biodegradable’, aiming to prevent misleading environmental claims. 
 Additionally, manufacturers are now mandated to ensure that their disposable plastic products do not leave behind any microplastics, emphasizing the government’s commitment to addressing the pervasive issue of plastic pollution.

Need for amendment:
 Lack of clarity: After the Union government banned single-use plastic in 2022, and recommended theadoption of biodegradable plastic, the question of what exactly constituted biodegradable plastic was unanswered.
 The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) refused to provide a ‘provisional certificate’ to licence the products as biodegradable because the CPCB only considers as biodegradable a plastic sample that has 90% degraded, and such a process takes at least two years. 
Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules 2024
Definition of Biodegradable plastics
 Biodegradable plastics are defined as materials that can degrade through biological processes in specific environments such as soil and landfills. These plastics should not leave any micro plastics behind after degradation.
Permitted Materials for Manufacturing
 Manufacturers are allowed to produce carry bags and commodities using compostable or biodegradable plastics. Such products must adhere to mandatory marking and labelling requirements set by the rules and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), especially for items intended for food contact.
Certification Requirement
 Manufacturers of compostable or biodegradable plastic carry bags or commodities must obtain a certification from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) prior to marketing or selling their products.

What are micro plastics?
 Microplastics are tiny plastic particles that result from both commercial product development and the breakdown of larger plastics. These minuscule fragments measure less than 5 mm (0.2 inch) in length and have significant implications for the environment and animal health.

Environmental concerns around micro plastics
 Non-Biodegradable: Microplastics are not biodegradable, which means they accumulate and persist in the environment.
 Marine Pollution: Microplastics enter oceans through various pathways, including direct disposal, runoff from land, and fragmentation of larger plastic debris.
 Invasion of Food Chains: The abundance of microplastics has led to their invasion of seafood and human-consumed food items.
 Toxic Effects on Living Organisms: They interact with the soil, disrupting its functions and harming the living organisms that inhabit the Earth. These tiny particles can have toxic effects on various organisms, affecting their health and well-being.

Government of India’s initiatives to tackle Plastic waste
 India has banned the production, use, and sale of single-use plastics such as bags, cups, plates, cutlery, and straws in many states.
 The Indian government has implemented Extended Producer Responsibility, making plastic manufacturers responsible for managing and disposing of the waste generated by their products.
 India introduced the Plastic Waste Management Rules in 2016, which provide a framework for managing plastic waste through various measures, including recycling and waste-to-energy initiatives.
 Government has set up Plastic Parks, which are specialized industrial zones for recycling and processing plastic waste.