Government Notifies Draft Amendments To Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016

Introduction

Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (“MoEFCC”) notified Plastic Waste Management Rules in 2016 (“Rules”) for effective and improved collection, segregation, processing, treatment and disposal of the plastic waste in an environmentally sound manner thereby reducing the plastic waste generation and its impact on the environment.

Thereafter, in line with Union Government's intent to phase out the single use plastic by 2022, various States / Union Territories (“UTs”) had imposed partial or complete ban on use of plastic bags and / or single use plastic items. However, considering the high environmental costs associated with management of single-use plastics and to supplement the initiative undertaken by States/UTs, MoEFCC has released draft amendments¹ to Rules on 11^th March, 2021 inter alia proposing prohibition on the manufacture, use, sale, import and handling of some of the single-use plastic items on a pan India basis. The draft is