A Critical Legal Analysis of the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016: Are they Effective in India?

Thus, the problem of plastic waste in India is massive, but it is a problem that we all talk about whenever we mention a growing metropolis and consumerism. In the framework of the contemporary environmental laws, the Indian government resolved to intervene with the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, under the Environment (Protection) Act of 1986. Such regulations attempt to control the manufacture, use, recycling and disposal of plastic unloading the burden onto producers, manufacturers, brand owners and local governments. It is my paper which discusses how efficiently these Rules address plastic pollution. It examines closely the regulatory system, implementation, the place of the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), as well as encroaching on practical issues of concern to authorities and local agencies such as ineffective infrastructure, lax enforcement, and poor compliance and regulatory loopholes. The conclusion, Even though it is a move in the right direction, the Rules are quite limited since there is poor enforcement and implementation barriers that are embedded in the system.