UT to make plastic waste segregation at source binding
CHANDIGARH: With the UT administration notifying the draft Chandigarh Plastic Waste Management bylaws 2020, soon it will be mandatory for the city residents to segregate plastic waste at source.
As per the rules of the draft, “individual household and institutional waste generators shall take steps to minimise generation of plastic waste and segregate it at source.”
The draft rules have been approved by the General House of the municipal corporation (MC) and are now awaiting the UT administrator’s approval, which is expected in 10 days. “After the approval of the administrator, the MC will implement the rules. Some of the elements have already been incorporated in our waste segregation processes, others will be implemented with this notification,” said KK Yadav, MC commissioner.
“Every plastic waste generator will have to segregate the waste at the source and plastic wastes shall be stored separately from other kinds of wastes within the premises of the waste generator. This responsibility shall fall upon the occupier or manager of the premises. The aforementioned entities shall hand over such segregated plastic waste to the collection agency designated/authorised by the Chandigarh MC,” the draft rules further state.
NO BURNING OR DISPOSAL IN DRAINS
“The waste generators shall not litter or burn the plastic waste. No generator shall dispose of the plastic waste in drains/unauthorised places within the municipal area,” read the rules.
Every person responsible for organising an event in open space, which involves service of food stuffs in plastic or multilayered packaging, will have to segregate and manage the waste generated during such events in accordance with the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, or the amendments from time to time.
Waste generators will even have to pay plastic waste management user fees as stipulated by the MC from time to time.
Significantly, the door-todoor segregation started by the MC last year in October came to a grinding halt after the coronavirus pandemic started in March this year. Even before that, the civic body was faltering to achieve waste segregation.
Special drives will be conducted by the MC for bulk generators of solid waste such as cinema halls, hotels, educational institutions, shopping halls, hostels and schools.