Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2024 issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) Here is a summary of the key amendments introduced by the 2024 amendment:
Assessment and Reporting by Panchayats at District Level:
★ Panchayats at the district level are tasked with the annual assessment of plastic waste generated within their rural areas, including existing waste at dump sites. This assessment is to be completed by June 30th of each year for a five-year forecast period.
★ They must also evaluate the available plastic waste management infrastructure for collection, segregation, and processing and report their findings to the State Pollution Control Board or Pollution Control Committee annually by June 30th.
★ Annual reports from district-level Panchayats should include details on plastic waste generation and management, projections of future waste, the status of byelaws implementation, and actions taken to prevent the use of banned single-use plastic items.
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR):
★ Producers, importers, and brand owners introducing plastic packaging into the market are responsible for the collection of such plastic packaging. Compliance with Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) guidelines, as specified in Schedule-II, is deemed as fulfillment of this responsibility.
★ EPR now also applies to manufacturers and importers of commodities made from compostable or biodegradable plastics.
Annual and Quarterly Reporting:
★ Entities engaged in the recycling or processing of plastic waste are required to submit an annual report online in Form-IV to their local body and the State Pollution Control Board or Pollution Control Committee by April 30th each year.
★ Manufacturers and importers of plastic raw materials must submit a quarterly report online in Form VII by the end of the month following the quarter and an annual report by June 30th of each year.
★ Sellers of plastic raw material or intermediate materials used for plastic packaging manufacture must submit an annual transaction detail report by June 30th each year.
★ Urban local bodies and Panchayats at the district level must submit an annual report online in Form-V to their respective development departments and the State Pollution Control Board or Pollution Control Committee by June 30th each year.
★ State Pollution Control Boards or Pollution Control Committees are to audit the reports submitted by urban local bodies and Panchayats, make the audit and annual reports available online, and submit an annual report in Form VI to the Central Pollution Control Board by July 31st each year.
★ The Central Pollution Control Board is tasked with preparing a consolidated annual report on the implementation of these rules and submitting it to the Central Government, along with recommendations, by August 31st each year.
★ These amendments aim to strengthen the management and reduction of plastic waste across India by enhancing the responsibilities of local governing bodies, producers, importers, and brand owners in the plastic waste management ecosystem.
SRIRAM'S
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