Page 36 - Plastics News December2018

FEATURES

iii. Roles and responsibilities of various stakeholders as discussed various issues related to Plastic Waste
per Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 and Plastic Management Rules, 2016 and Solid Waste Management
Waste Management Rules, 2016 Rules, 2016. The Committee’s recommendations on the
major issues in these rules are as under:
Shri Amardeep Raju, Scientist ‘D’ in the MoEF&CC has
also been participating & assisting the committee in all i. Rule 4.(b) Carry bags made of recycled plastic or
its meetings. Further it was decided that the Committee products made of recycled plastic shall not be used
will take views of important stakeholders like Swachh for storing, carrying, dispensing or packaging ready
Bharat Mission, Ministry of Rural Development, Ministry to eat or drink food stuff’;
of Commerce and Industry, Ministry of Micro, Small & Recommendation: The Committee recommends that
Medium Enterprises and also from Industrial Associations the provision has been made in the rules based on
particularly on PWM Rules, 2016 while taking a decision the inputs received from Ministry of Health. Therefore
in the matter.
this rule is essential and stakeholders are following
3.0 Second meeting of the Committee the rules. Thus no change is necessary to this Rule.

Further to the constitution of the Committee and to ii. Rule 4.(d) plastic sheet or like, which is not an
deliberate on the un-resolved issues, a meeting was integral part of multilayered packaging and cover
convened at Ahmadabad Municipal Corporation on made of plastic sheet used for packaging, wrapping
03.11.2017. A detailed presentation on the present state the commodity shall not be less than fifty microns in
of affair on the waste management scenario at Ahmedabad thickness except where the thickness of such plastic
was made by Shri Mukesh Kumar, Municipal Commissioner, sheets impair the functionality of the product;
Ahmedabad.
Discussion: The Ministry has received representations
Shri Ritesh Kumar Singh, Joint Secretary, MoEFCC from various stakeholders. It was observed that the
provided details regarding the issues discussed in the last stakeholders are coming up with different reasons
meeting and invited all the members of the Committee to get exemption under this rule. Further it was
to participate in discussion to further deliberate on the discussed during the stakeholders consultation that
unresolved issues. the rule proposes to ban the use of plastics less than

4.0 Stakeholders Consultation Meeting 50 microns. However, the packaging material (primary
packaging) used in food industry, pharmaceuticals,
Further to the meeting held at Ahmedabad, it was cosmetics, etc. are of much lesser thickness.
decided that a stakeholders consultation meeting on Increasing the thickness of these plastics to 50 micron
Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016 and Solid Waste will increase the volume of waste plastics, thus going
Management Rules, 2016 should also be called at this against the spirit of the Rules.
stage and the views of various stakeholders should be
heard by the Committee. Accordingly a stakeholders It was notes by the Committee that there are
consultation meeting was convened in the Ministry in some commodities where thin layer is required like
the presence of the Committee on 27th December, 2017. wrapping of food stuff etc, where only virgin plastic
Various stakeholders made detailed presentations before is allowed. Therefore the rules may not have any
Committee on the major issues faced by them in the Rules. issue since it is a functional requirement. However,
CPCB mentioned that it is very difficult to judge the
5.0 Third meeting of the Committee functionality and that this introduced an element of

Subsequently, a third meeting of the Committee was held subjectivity in the Rules.
on 27/12/2017 and the various issues highlighted in the Recommendation: The matter was further deliberated
stakeholders meeting were deliberated upon. in the Committee. The Committee noted that the
6.0 Discussion on the provisions of the PWM substitution of the thinner plastic sheet used for
Rules, 2016 packaging or wrapping the commodity, with plastic
During the course of three meetings, the Committee sheet of thickness more than fifty microns is possible in

Plastics News December 2018 36