Order of the National Green Tribunal regarding restriction on use of plastic bottles and multi layered plastic packages, 31/05/2019
Order of the National Green Tribunal in the matter of Him Jagriti Uttaranchal Welfare Society Vs Union of India & Others dated 31/05/2019 regarding restriction on use of plastic bottles and multi layered plastic packages used for packaging of carbonated soft drink and liquor as well as other items, in view of the adverse impact on the environment and health. The Tribunal issued notice on 29.01.2014 and has been considering the matter for more than five years. On behalf of the applicants, it has been submitted that Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has only focused on waste management and not on the subject of restrictions on use of plastic as packaging material. MoEF&CC itself has found the Plastic Waste Management Rules to be deficient. The Packaging and Labelling Regulations, 2018 under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 do not deal with the issue in entirety and are not adequate to deal with the problem.
The NGT directs constitution of an Expert Committee comprising of respresentatives of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, Bureau of Indian Standards, Central Pollution Control Board and Directorate General Of Health Services to examine whether any further regulatory provisions are required on the subject of restrictions on the packaging by use of plastic material after the steps already taken, and if so to what extent.