5. Policies for solid waste management in India
Now that you have gone through the end to end process . Let's look at the policies and rules which were passed in India to handle the waste management process in the country.
Solid Waste Management Rules,2016
The Municipal Solid Waste Management[1] was formulated in 2000 and was revised in 2016 by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change. The rules mandate the handling, sorting, segregation, disposal of municipal waste. It also includes guidelines for the setting up of solid waste processing facilities for all local government bodies having a population of 1 lakh or more.
Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2022
The Plastic Waste Management Rules[2]
of 2022 is an amendment to the PWM Rules, 2016; which replaced the 2011 law. The PWM Rules 2022 introduced a slew of provisions for everyone in the plastics supply chain. Under the Extended Producers Responsibility provisions, companies were directed to work out their own arrangements for collecting plastic waste and achieve 100% collection within two and a half years of enactment of the rules.
Construction and Demolition Waste Management Rules, 2016
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and climate change notified the construction and demolition waste management rules[3] on 29th march 2016. The law is applicable to all the generators to prepare a comprehensive waste management plan for waste generated within their jurisdiction. The generator should remove all construction and demolition waste in consultation with the concerned local authority on their own or through any agency.
Extended Producers Responsibility (EPR)[4]
EPR is a ‘polluter pays’ principle under which producers and users of plastic packaging, electronic waste, tyre waste and battery waste have to take back these waste materials from the market and ensure proper recycling or disposal in an environmentally sound manner. The first regulation on EPR was enacted almost a decade back in the Plastic Waste (Management & Handling) Rules, 2011. The rules directed municipal authorities to set up plastic waste collection centers with financial support from the producers.
Additional Information
Course to Enroll :
Solid waste management|Udemy
Municipal Solid Waste in Developing Countries|Coursera
Waste Management and critical Raw Materials |EDX