Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2024
Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2024
GS-3: Environmental Pollution
(UPSC/State PSC)
Important for Prelims:
Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules-2024, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), Plastic Waste Management Rules-2016, Central Pollution Control Board, Plastics, Microplastics.
Important for Mains:
Difference between biodegradable and compostable plastics, environmental concerns of microplastics, India's efforts to tackle plastic waste.
23/03/2024
Why in News:
Recently, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has released the Indian Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2024. It will replace the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016.
About Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2024:
- Under this rule, manufacturers of carry bags made of compostable plastic or biodegradable plastic will have to obtain a “no objection” certificate from the Central Pollution Control Board before marketing or selling them.
- This rule defines biodegradable plastics not only as capable of degradation by biological processes in specific environments such as soil, landfills, but also applies to microplastics.
- Under this rule, it has been made mandatory for company manufacturers to label products made from disposable plastic as microplastic free and biodegradable.
Need for modification:
- Ambiguity: After the central government recommended banning single-use plastics in 2022 and adopting biodegradable plastics, the question remained unanswered as to what exactly biodegradable plastic is.
- Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) refused to grant 'provisional certificate' to license the products as biodegradable because CPCB considers only that plastic sample as biodegradable which is 90% damaged, and such a process takes at least two years.
Difference between Biodegradable and Compostable Plastic:
- Plastic which gets decomposed into water, carbon dioxide (or methane) and biomass by microorganisms under specified conditions is called biodegradable plastic.
- Such plastic material which is easily biodegradable and converted into compost in the soil is called compostable plastic.
- The company uses a unique blend of thermoplastic-starch (TPS)-glycerin as the primary raw material to produce compostable plastics.
- In biodegradable plastic, plastic items are treated before selling them.
- Compostable plastics, on the other hand, do degrade, but require industrial or large municipal waste management facilities to do so.
- Biodegradable plastics and compostable plastics are offered as two broad types of technological solutions to India's growing problem of plastic waste pollution.
About Plastic:
- The word plastic is derived from the Greek word plastikos, meaning "capable of being shaped or molded."
- Plastics refer to a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as the main component, their defining quality being their plasticity.
- The basic particles of plastic are monomers (small molecules) which form a complex polymer through a process called polymerization.
About Microplastics:
Definition:
- Officially, plastic particles less than 5 millimeters long or smaller are called microplastics.
size:
- Microplastics have dimensions between 1 µm and 1,000 µm (1 µm is one thousandth of a millimeter).
Presence:
- Microplastics can be found across the planet, from the depths of the Pacific Ocean to the heights of the Himalayas.
Environmental Concerns of Microplastics:
Detrimental:
- These are extremely harmful for the sea and aquatic life.
- These are present in the form of solid plastic particles insoluble in water.
- According to the latest global estimates, an average human consumes at least 50,000 microplastic particles annually due to contamination of the food chain, potable water and air.
Marine Pollution:
- Microplastics enter the oceans through a variety of routes, including direct disposal, runoff from land, and fragmentation of larger plastic debris.
- Marine creatures such as fish, sea birds and marine mammals ingest microplastics, causing physical harm, disruption of the digestive tract and potential transfer of toxins into the food chain.
Freshwater Contamination:
- Microplastics are also found in freshwater environments, such as rivers, lakes and springs.
Bioaccumulation and Biomagnification:
- Microplastics have the ability to accumulate in the tissues of organisms through processes such as ingestion and adsorption.
- As predators consume prey containing microplastics, these contaminants bio-magnify, reaching high concentrations in organisms at the top of the food chain, including humans.
Habitat Degradation:
- The presence of microplastics interferes with nutrient cycling, sediment stability and the behavior of organisms.
- In some cases, microplastics create microenvironments that promote the growth of harmful bacteria or invasive species, disrupting ecosystem dynamics.
Global distribution:
- Microplastics have been detected in diverse environments around the world, including remote and pristine locations far from major sources of plastic pollution.
- Their global distribution highlights the widespread nature of plastic contamination and underlines the need for coordinated international efforts to address the issue.
India's efforts to dispose of plastic waste:
- Ban on single-use plastics: India has banned the production, use and sale of single-use plastics such as bags, cups, plates, cutlery and straws in many states.
- Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR): The Government of India has implemented EPR, making plastic manufacturers responsible for the management and disposal of waste generated from their products.
- Plastic Waste Management Rules: India introduced Plastic Waste Management Rules in 2016, which provide a framework for managing plastic waste through various measures, including recycling and waste-to-energy initiatives.
Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2022:
- Guidelines on EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) are associated with the prohibition of identified single-use plastic items.
- Under this rule, a ban was imposed on the manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of carry bags made of virgin or recycled plastic of less than 75 micrometres.
- Swachh Bharat Abhiyan: The Government of India launched the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, a national cleanliness campaign that involves the collection and disposal of plastic waste.
- Plastic Parks: The government has set up plastic parks, which are special industrial areas for recycling and processing plastic waste.
- Beach Cleanup Campaign: The Government of India and various NGOs have organized beach cleanup campaigns to collect and dispose of plastic waste from the beaches.
- India is a signatory to MARPOL (International Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution).
India Plastic Challenge - Hackathon 2021
- India Plastic Challenge Hackathon- 2021 was organized to promote innovation in the field of development of eco-friendly alternatives. Under this, two innovative solutions were provided:
- A solid packaging material made from paddy straw, which is an alternative to thermocol and will not only address the problem of plastic pollution but will also help in reducing pollution caused by burning of stubble,
- A flexible packaging film (membrane) made from seaweed, which is used as wrapping and carry bags.
Source: The Hindu
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Mains Question
Throw light on the main points of Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules-2024.
Discuss the environmental concerns of microplastics by distinguishing between biodegradable and compostable plastics.
Review India's efforts to dispose of plastic waste.