The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, (MoEFCC) on March 23, 2023, extended Producer Responsibility guidelines to mandate sustainable plastic packaging to reduce plastic footprint.
For effective monitoring of the ban on identified single-use plastic items and plastic waste management in the country, the following online platforms are in operation (a) National Dashboard for monitoring of the implementation of comprehensive action plan(b) CPCB Monitoring Module for Compliance on Elimination of Single-Use Plastic, and (c) CPCB Grievance Redressal App.
Steps have been taken by concerned central ministries and state governments towards implementation of the ban identified single-use plastic items. Private enterprises are manufacturing eco-alternatives. Around 150 manufacturers and startups manufacturing eco-alternatives to ban single-use plastic items from across the country participated in the National Expo on eco-alternatives to banned single-use plastics items and Conference of Startups -2022 held in Chennai on September 26-27, 2022.
Further, 201 Manufacturers and Sellers of compostable plastics have been certified by CPCB and the list is available on the website of CPCB.
The Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, as amended, provide the statutory framework for environmentally sound management and disposal of plastic waste including waste generated from single-use plastic.
The Guidelines on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for plastic packaging vide Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2022, on February 16, 2022.
The Guidelines stipulate mandatory targets on EPR, recycling of plastic packaging waste, reuse of rigid plastic packaging, and use of recycled plastic content. The guidelines provide for moving towards sustainable plastic packaging and reducing the plastic footprint of plastic packaging.
[Notification No. 1909909]
