India: Text of New Law on Plastic Waste

Key features of the law on Plastic Waste in India include:

It incorporates Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for plastics waste
management for the first time, and is a significant change from the earlier
law made in 1999. (EPR makes waste as part of the life cycle of the
product/packaging, in legal and management terms)

1. plastic bags less than 40 micron banned

2. plastics bags will not be available free of cost to the consumer.

3. Introduction of a mandatory ’waste management’ clause in the law with EPR

4. Setting up of plastic waste management centers in each municipality
funded by the industry under EPR

5. Labeling of bags and multilayered packaging

6. Setting up on a State level advisory body for overseeing
the implementation with civil society as a part of the body

7. Ban on open burning of plastics

8 Ban on use of small packages from tobacco and ’gutka’

Plastic Waste (management and Handling) Rules 2011

4 February 2011