An overview of The Plastic Waste Processor (PWP)

Our lifestyle now depends heavily on plastic, which we use in a variety of ways and need on a daily basis. We have been accustomed to using plastic products as a result of the inclusion of plastic material in every aspect of human life. The most important thing to keep in mind about that is that it never gets destroyed and continues to exist in exactly the same form even after decades of disposal.

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No one on the planet does not come into contact with plastic in some way during their daily activities. A wide variety of plastic products, such as packaging films, shopping bags, wrapping supplies, liquid containers, interior products, children's toys, and waste bags, among others, are readily available.

Meaning of plastic waste 

Plastic waste is unused plastic that significantly harms the environment and living habitats. Recycled plastics are even worse for the environment than virgin products because they undergo thermal degradation while being processed for reuse and contain a variety of chemicals, including color and brominated flame retardants that can harm the nervous system and cause cancer.

According to publicly accessible Government data, 5.6 million tonnes of plastic waste are produced a year, or 15342 tonnes per day if we assume that even 70% of the world's plastic consumption is disposed of as waste. Every year, almost 300 million tonnes of plastic waste are produced; this is about as much as the weight of the entire world's population. Because of this, the government has introduced an alternative approach through legislation that considers the successful management and processing of plastic trash.

As per the Plastic Waste Management Rules 2016, Negative environmental consequences can be reduced by the use of technologies and management strategies for Plastic Waste processing. The method of disposal most commonly used for plastics disposal is incineration. Despite the fact that it results in the release of harmful gases including furans and chlorinated dioxins, till now we have paid very little attention to it.

In order to dispose of plastic garbage more safely, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) made an attempt to combine novel technical solutions. The crucial technique for implementing a system for municipal and other solid garbage Plastic Waste are already adopted as: 

Types of Plastic Waste Management

The process of building roads with plastic garbage

• Plastic garbage should be collected and separated into chlorinated and brominated plastic waste, respectively.
• Drying and cleaning plastic garbage.
• Subsequently, Plastic trash is shredded tone aggregate is heated, shred plastic waste is added, coated aggregate is combined with hot bitumen, and the mixture of plastic aggregate and bitumen may be used to create roads.

Utilizing plastic waste in cement kilns and power plants as an alternative fuel and raw material (AFR)

Industries like the cement industry, power plants, etc. can co-process plastic waste. Alternative fuels and raw materials are terms used to describe waste resources used in co-processing. The collected non-recyclable and non-reusable plastics are sent to the closest power plant or other industries for co-processing once the local concerned Municipal authority enters into an agreement with power plants, cement kilns, and other industries. Prior to doing so, the Municipal Authority consults with the relevant State Pollution Control Board (SPCB)/Pollution Control Committee (PCC).

The concerned industry must then store the waste material and process it using different types of feeding machinery.

Recycling waste materials to create liquid RDF (Oil)

The term Random De-Polymerization is the process of converting waste materials into liquid RDF. 

The following steps are involved in turning plastic waste into liquid fuel RDF: 

• Separation of PW from the storage area and landfill for mixed MSW.
• Transportation of optically sorted plastic garbage on a conveyor belt.
• Optical plastic waste segregation (only HD, LD, PP, and multilayer packaging except for PVC)
• Shredding PW and removing contaminants and dust;
• Transport of 100% PW that has been segregated into the reactor's feeding hopper; feeding of PW into the reactor for random depolymerization in the presence of additives.

Uses for Outputs

The processes that follow produce products in the solid (sludge), liquid (RDF oil), and gaseous states. The gas produced by the operations is utilized as a fuel in the process, making it viable and contributing to the reduction of air pollution. Oil can be used in place of LDO in industries safely because it has similar features to LDO and does not deplete natural resources. Sludge, one of the process' byproducts, is employed in the cement industry.

The registration process of Plastic Waste Processor under the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016

The PWM regulations place responsibility for the management of plastic waste on the PWP and PIBOs (Producers, Importers, and Brand Owners) who launch the products on the market.

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has created a proforma for an action plan to be submitted in June 2019 with an amendment in procedure in 2022 in order to get registration for the installation of PWM while taking into account the PWM guidelines.

Framework for an action plan

• The Processor must complete EPR for all the states/UTs in which they import their products and must submit the EPR Action Plan for PWM to the CPCB in order to gain registration.
• The EPR target for a specific State or UTs must match the kind and quantity of plastic that the State or UT put on the market.
• The PWP & PIBOs shall have the option of adopting any or all of these available options. The total type & quantum of plastic waste managed through these alternatives in a particular State/UT meet the EPR target of the concerned PWP & PIBO for the respective State/UT. 
• The Waste Management agency must register with the relevant local body or authority specified by the State/UT for such purposes. They must then tell the designated local body, which is the Pollution Control Board (PCBs), of such documentation.

The Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) 

Under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, of 1974, the CPCB is the statutory body that was established in September 1974. The CPCB, which is governed by the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEFCC), is the organization in charge of enforcing Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for the plastic packaging and PW Processing sector. Under EPR, PWP and Producers, importers, and brand owners are responsible for processing their plastic packaging waste for reuse, recycling, or end-of-life disposal (such as co-processing, waste-to-energy, plastic-to-oil, road-making, or industrial composting). The same policy, through the fourth amendment to PWM rules, was published by the MoEFCC on February 16, 2022.

• The MoEFCC has required Plastic Waste Processors (PWPs) to register themselves on a Centralized EPR portal of CPCB through this policy. It is applicable to PWPs that are already registered with Pollution Control Committees and State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) (PCCs) as well.
• In compliance with the requirements of Section 13(3) of the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, the PWPs / PIBOs are required to register with the relevant SPCB/PCC on this Centralized site.
• Only PWPs that have registered on the portal will be permitted to issue certifications for processing plastic waste, which the Producers, Importers & Brand- Owners (PIBOs), who must also be registered on the same platform, must evaluate in order to satisfy their EPR requirements.
• As stipulated by the mandate, all PWPs that are now in operation must register on the EPR portal by the end of June 2022; otherwise, the consent granted to defaulting PWPs would be revoked.

Step-by-Step Procedure

• The PWP/PIBOs requires to submit an application, where they can refer to the standard operating procedure for registering PWPs that was posted on the EPR portal for more clarification.
• The PWP/PIBOs must pay the application fee, at the time the application for Registration with the CPCB is submitted.
• In order to fulfill the Statewise EPR target, the PWP / PIBO must submit an EPR action plan for each state in which they are introducing plastic.
• The documents that must be presented to the CPCB in order to receive registration are

1. Company PAN, GST, and CIN (Company Details)
2. Authorized person's Aadhar or PAN. (Summary of Authorized Person)
3. Process flow chart
4. Authorizations under the Air/Water Act and Consents under the PWM Rules provided by SPCB/PCC (Registration under the PWM Rules/to verify whether it is registered with SPCB/PCC through offline mode) (Date of issue; validity period; and Renewal Registration No.)
5. Images with geotags of the manufacturing, production area, and product dispatch areas. (Location)
6. Images with the location of plant machinery.
7. An electricity bill copy. (Licensed power load)
8. A copy of the analysis report characterizing the waste produced.
9. A copy of the documentation outlining aspects of occupational safety and health.
10. A copy of the document outlining the pollution control procedures.
11. A copy of the onsite/offsite disaster management facility's details.
12. A cover letter and your signature
13. A document including any additional information the unit desires to include.
14. Capacity and a production facility have been authorized.
15. Information about the disposal facility, including whether the facility has SPCB or PCC approval.
16. Additional details and attachments.

Four months before the Registration expires, the PWP must have to submit the renewal application and any supporting documentation.

Processing of the application

• The application will be reviewed by the CPCB, and if any deficiencies are discovered, they will be reported to the applicant within seven working days of the application's receipt. After receiving the necessary documentation, all concerned CPCB authorities will respond within two working days.
• The applicant must have to respond within 30 days of receiving the application; otherwise, it will be rejected.
• If the CPCB does not respond to the applicant within one month of receiving the complete application in its office, the registration certificate will be presumed to have been generated. The government officials must provide an explanation if there is a delay.
• According to the Processing Capacity Slab, the applicant must pay the application cost.

1. The renewal registration fees will be the same as the initial registration fees.
2. When filing yearly returns, 25% of the application fees must be paid as annual processing fees.

• The application will be forwarded to the relevant SPCBs and/or PCCs for further processing, and they will have 15 days to approve or reject it.
• A new, corrected application must be submitted along with the applicable application fee in the event that the original application is refused for any reason.
• Within 30 days, SPCB/PCC must undertake a physical audit. Additionally, PWPs must receive their registration certificates online using a digital signature that is built into the site.
• The first registration is valid for one year, and renewal applications are valid for three years.

Cancellation from Registration

• If at any point the PWP's document is shown to be fake, the registration issued shall be subject to cancellation. The chairman shall have the final decision-making authority regarding cancellation or suspension.
• If the PWP is discovered to be breaking the registration clause, a notice will be sent.
• The PWP will be given the chance to be heard within fifteen days of the notice's issuing, and a final decision will be made within ten working days after that date.