Managing Biomedical Plastic Waste Prudently : Daily Current Affairs

Relevance: GS-3: Environment Pollution and degradation

Key Phrases: Bio-medical Waste Management Rules, Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, Hazardous Waste, Plastic Waste Management Rules, Environment Conservation

Context:

A massive amount of biomedical waste is generated every year and thus, it is a matter of enormous concern.
The Ministry of Environment and Forests had notified the Bio-Medical Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 1998 and later notified Bio-medical Waste Management Rules, 2016 under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 to protect human health and the environment.
The guidelines have also been prepared to enable each hospital to create conditions for waste management in terms of segregation, collection, transportation, treatment, and disposal of hospital waste.

What is Biomedical Waste?

Biomedical waste means any waste which is generated during
- diagnosis,
- treatment, or
- immunisation of human beings or animals or
- in research activities.
Biomedical waste comprises human & animal anatomical waste, and treatment apparatus like needles, syringes, and other materials used in health care facilities in the process of treatment and research.

Why is the proper management of biomedical waste necessary?

Scientific disposal of Biomedical Waste (BMW) through segregation, collection, and treatment in an environmentally sound manner minimises the adverse impact on health workers and on the environment.
The quantum of waste generated in India is estimated to be 1-2 kg per bed per day in a hospital and 600 gm per day per bed in a clinic.
85% of the hospital waste is non-hazardous, and 15% is infectious/hazardous.
Mixing of hazardous waste results in contamination and makes the entire waste hazardous. Hence, there is a necessity to segregate and treat the waste .
Improper disposal increases the risk of infection; encourages recycling of prohibited disposables and disposed drugs; and develops resistant microorganisms.

How Bio-medical wastes are collected and disposed of in India?

The collection and disposal of the Bio-medical waste has to be undertaken in accordance with the specified methods of disposal prescribed under Schedule I of the BMW 2016 Rules. However, in actual terms there is significant departure from the same.

Salient features of BMW, Management Rules, 2016:

The ambit of the rules include vaccination camps, blood donation camps, surgical camps, or any other healthcare activity;
Phasing out of the use of chlorinated plastic bags, gloves, and blood bags within two years;
Pre-treatment of the laboratory waste, microbiological waste, blood samples, and blood bags through disinfection or sterilization on-site in the manner as prescribed by WHO;
Provide training to all its health care workers and immunise all health workers regularly;
Establish a Bar-Code System for bags or containers containing bio-medical waste for disposal;
Bio-medical waste has been classified into 4 categories instead of 10 to improve the segregation of waste at source;
Automatic authorisation for bedded hospitals;
The new rules prescribe more stringent standards for incinerators to reduce the emission of pollutants in the environment;
Inclusion of emissions limits for Dioxin and furans;
State Government to provide land for setting up common bio-medical waste treatment and disposal facility;
No occupier shall establish onsite treatment and disposal facility if a service of `common bio-medical waste treatment facility is available at a distance of seventy-five kilometers.
According to Bio-medical Waste Management Rules, 2016, proper handling and disposal of such waste is a must, and failure to comply will result in a penal action including imprisonment of five years or a fine of ₹1 lakhb or both.
Recycling and reuse of biomedical waste along with proper disposal calls for the immediate attention of both private and government hospitals.

Bio-Medical Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2018:

Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules, 2016 was amended for the protection of the environment & human health from infectious bio-medical waste and to implement and improve compliance to environmentally sound management of bio-medical waste in India.
The amended rules stipulate that generators of bio-medical waste such as hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, dispensaries, etc., will not use chlorinated plastic bags and gloves in medical applications, to save the environment. The last date for its use mentioned in the rule was beyond March 27, 2019
The Blood bags have been exempted for phase-out, as per the amended BMW rules, 2018.

Plastic Waste management:

India generates 9.46 million tonnes of plastic waste annually out of which 40 per cent of plastic waste goes uncollected.
Industrial waste, sewage and agricultural waste pollute water, soil, and air.
It can also be dangerous to human beings and the environment.
The segregation and collection of plastic waste is done as per the Plastic waste management rules, 2016 which is issued under Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
The rules introduced the concept of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) to manage plastics in India.
EPR means the responsibility of a producer for environmentally sound management of the product until the end of its life.

The Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021

The rules prohibit the manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of plastic carry bags having a thickness less than 75 microns, and thickness less than 120 microns with effect from December 31, 2022.

Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2022:

These are the guidelines on EPR coupled with the prohibition of identified single-use plastic items, which have low utility and high littering potential
This came into effect from 1st July 2022.
The major provisions of the amendment rules include-
- Classification of plastics: The new rules classify plastics into four categories:
  - Category 1: includes rigid plastic packaging.
  - Category 2: include flexible plastic packaging of a single layer or multilayer (more than one layer with different types of plastic), plastic sheets and covers made of plastic sheets, carry bags, plastic sachet or pouches.
  - Category 3: include multi-layered plastic packaging (at least one layer of plastic and at least one layer of material other than plastic)
  - Category 4: include plastic sheets or like used for packaging as well as carry bags made of compostable plastics fall.
- Recycling and Reusing:
  - The rules mandate recycling and reusing of certain percentage of plastic produced by manufacturers, importers, and brand owners.
- Details of recycling certificates from registered recyclers:
  - The producers, importers, and brand-owners shall have to provide the details of recycling certificates only from registered recyclers along with the details of quantity sent for end-of-life disposal, by June 30 of next financial year while filing annual returns on the online portal.
- Centralised online portal:
  - A centralised online portal is to be established by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) for the registration as well as filing of annual returns by producers, importers, and brand owners, plastic waste processors of plastic packaging waste by March 31.
  - This portal would act as the single point data repository with respect to orders and guidelines related to the implementation of EPR for plastic packaging under Plastic Waste Management Rule, 2016.
- Environmental Compensation for non-fulfillment of EPT targets:
  - It shall be levied based upon the polluter pays principle, for non-fulfillment of EPR targets by producers, importers and brand owners.
  - The funds collected shall be utilised for the collection, recycling and end of life disposal of uncollected plastic waste in an environmentally sound manner.
- Setting up of a Committee for effective implementation:
  - A Committee is to be constituted by the CPCB under the chairpersonship of the CPCB chairman.
  - It will recommend measures for effective implementation of EPR, including amendments to Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) guidelines.

Steps taken by the government with respect to biomedical waste and single-use plastic:

Advisory Committee:
- An advisory committee for the respective States is constituted to review the implementation of bio-medical waste management.
Capacity building workshops:
- Workshops are being organised for MSME units to provide the technical assistance for the manufacturing of alternatives to banned single use plastic items.
- Provisions have also been made to support such enterprises in transitioning away from banned single-use plastics.
Special Enforcement teams:
- For effective enforcement of the ban on identified single-use plastic items, national and State level control rooms will be set up and special enforcement teams will be formed.
- This will check illegal manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale, and use of banned single use plastic items.
- States/UTs have been asked to set up border checkpoints to stop the inter-State movement of any banned single use plastic items.

Conclusion:

Good Healthcare Waste Management (HCWM) is crucial to prevent the exposure of healthcare workers, patients, waste handlers, and the community to infections, toxic effects, and injuries in the course of the daily operation of medical activities, mass immunisation campaigns and even in emergency situations.
A holistic approach to dealing with plastic waste, biomedical or in other forms is underway, but it calls for participation by the citizenry in this effort.

Source: The Hindu BL

Mains Question:

Q. Any amount of legislation(s) to deal with plastic waste, biomedical or in other forms cannot achieve its objective without active participation of the citizenry. Discuss in the light of existing legislations.