Lok Sabha Question No. 2418 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-03-09
Subject: Waste Recycling Policy
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: RATTAN LAL KATARIA

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 2418

TO BE ANSWERED ON 09.03.2018

## Waste Recycling Policy

## 2418. SHRI RATTAN LAL KATARIA:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  is  preparing  any  new  waste  recycling  policy  for  metals, paper, plastics etc. which is crucial for sustainability of environment;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and if not, the details of the existing waste recycling policy;
- (c) whether the recycling rate in the country is less than twenty per cent while it is eighty per cent in developed economies/countries and if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) the  other  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  encourage  the  practice  of  recycle  and reuse waste materials in the country?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (DR. MAHESH SHARMA)

(a) and (b) The  Ministry  in  supersession  of  Municipal  Solid  Waste  (Management  and Handling) Rules, 2000, has notified the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016. In the new Rules,  emphasis  has  been  given  for  segregation  of  waste  at  source  and  handing  over  of segregated waste to waste collector or agency to promote the recyclers to develop sustainable market  through  recycling  of  waste.  Further  the  Rule  mandate  the  State  Government  to prepare  State  Policy  and  strategy  with  emphasis  on  waste  reduction,  reuse,  recycling, recovery and optimum  utilization of various components of solid waste to ensure minimization of waste going to the landfill  and minimize impact of solid waste on human health and environment.

As per the provisions of Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, the generators of waste have been mandated to take steps to minimize generation of plastic waste, not to litter the plastic waste, ensure segregated storage of waste at source and handover segregated waste to local bodies or agencies authorised by the local bodies. The rules mandate the producers, importers  and  brand  owners  to  work  out  modalities  for  waste  collection  system  based  on Extended Producer Responsibility.

(c) and (d) The rate of recycling primarily depends upon the segregation of the waste at source and further the transportation of segregated waste to the processing/recycling facility. To achieve greater recyclability the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 mandate the Local

Authorities to setup material recovery facilities or secondary storage facilities with sufficient space to enable authorized waste pickers and waste collectors to separate recyclables such as paper, plastic, metal, glass, textile from the waste. The Rules prescribes to take every effort to recycle or reuse the rejects to achieve the desired objective of zero waste going to landfill.

The Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 mandate all resident welfare and market associations, gated communities, institutions, all hotels and restaurants to ensure segregation of waste at source, facilitate  collection of segregated waste in separate streams and handover recyclable  material  to  either  the  authorized  waste  pickers  or  the  authorized  recyclers.  The Construction and Demolition Waste Management Rules, 2016 prescribe the procurement of materials made from construction and demolition waste to be made mandatory to a certain percentage  (say  10-20%)  in  municipal  and  Government  contracts  subject  to  strict  quality control. CPCB has also issued guidelines for utilization of plastic waste in road construction, cement kilns and usage as liquid RDF (oil).

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