Central Government Of India Mandates 100 percent Recycling Of Compostable Plastics Resin From FY2024 Onwards

Beginning from the fiscal year 2023-24, the Indian government will mandate the 100 percent recycling of Compostable Plastic material per the Extended Producers Responsibility (EPR). The materials employed for compostable packaging do not release toxic emissions since it decomposes within a significant time frame.

Ashwini Kumar Choubey, the Minister of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEF&C), whilst responding to a question in the Rajya Sabha, stated that the MoEF&CC had alerted guidelines on EPR for packaging of plastic which specifies obligatory targets on importers, producers, and brand owners for rigid plastic packaging recycling.

The lowest recycling level of plastic packaging waste, as well as the lowest usage of recycled plastic content in plastic packaging was also informed. The goal for rigid plastic packaging under the EPR, created by using compostable material, will be 100 percent starting the financial year 2023-24.

A plastic material that is compostable is believed to be sustainable as it is made from bio-based sources such as sugar beets, seaweed, or other plants rather than fossil fuels. In this situation, and if responsibly sourced, these materials might offer environmental benefits. Biodegradable plastic material has now evolved into a formidable replacement following the ban by the government for single-use plastic (SUP) starting in July 2022.

In case the biodegradable plastic materials are not well managed, the articles manufactured from such materials can harm the environment. It has been discovered by environmentalists that if packaging materials produced via compostable materials are not picked and processed properly, then these materials will not break down as planned. Hence, plastic that is biodegradable ought to be retrieved in either a house or a commercial compost, relying on what the particular item is designed for.

Compostable packaging has the advantage of being environment-friendly, supplying the planet with nutrients once it breaks down completely. Yet, despite the offered benefits, all biodegradable packaging needs to be tested for biodegradation, disintegration, and non-toxic impact with being disposed of properly.

As per the EPR guidelines, the lowest plastic recycling mark is set at 30-40 percent for FY 2024-25, 40-50 percent for FY 2025-26, 50-70 percent for FY 2026-27 and 60-80 percent for FY 2027-28 on.

SUP Ban

Manufacture, stocking, import, sale, distribution, and use of complex SUP items, with low utility and high potential of littering, will be banned. Rather, they hope to facilitate Compostable Plastics to substitute polymer-based ones. Herewith, the government has also imposed a minimal recycling level for plastic packaging waste under EPR. The goal of the following guidelines is to invigorate the circular economy of plastic packaging waste as well as advance in recycling infrastructure for plastic packaging waste.

The government also established various plans for technical and economic assistance in order to develop a recycling facility for plastic waste. In addition, the recycling of rigid plastic packaging in food applications is subjected to the decree of the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI).

A defining stride is grasped to stunt pollution caused by unmanaged and littered plastic waste. The harmful impact of littered single-use plastic things affects both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, including in oceanic environments, and is acknowledged globally. Managing pollution caused by single-use plastic items has appeared as a crucial environmental challenge faced by all countries.

Sinewy steps were taken by the government for mitigating pollution caused by littered SUP. The banned items list includes plastic sticks for balloons, earbuds with plastic sticks, candy sticks, plastic flags, polystyrene (Thermocol) for decoration, glasses, ice-cream sticks, cups, plastic plates, cutlery like spoons, forks, straws, knives, trays, invitation cards, wrapping or packaging films around sweet boxes, cigarette packets, stirrers, plastic, or PVC banners less than 100 microns. 

2021, Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules also ban the production, import, stocking, allotting, sale, and usage of plastic carry bags with a thickness lesser than seventy-five microns immediately effective from 30th September 2021 and 31st December 2022 for having a thickness of one hundred and twenty microns.

As per Procurement Resource, the article states the latest move by the Central Government of India mandating 100 percent recycling of Compostable Plastics Resin from FY2024 Onwards. Furthermore, the Manufacture, stocking, import, sale, distribution, and use of complex SUP items, with low utility and high potential of littering will be banned.