- In these rules, unless the context otherwise requires.-

(a) "Act " means the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 (29 of 1986);

(b) "brand owner " means a person or company who sells any commodity under a registered brand label.

(c) "carry bags " mean bags made from plastic material or compostable plastic material, used for the purpose of carrying or dispensing commodities which have a self carrying feature but do not include bags that constitute or form an integral part of the packaging in which goods are sealed prior to use.

(d) "commodity " means tangible item that may be bought or sold and includes all marketable goods or wares;

(e) "compostable plastics " mean plastic that undergoes degradation by biological processes during composting to yield CO2, water, inorganic compounds and biomass at a rate consistent with other known compostable materials, excluding conventional petro-based plastics, and does not leave visible, distinguishable or toxic residue;

(f) "consent " means the consent to establish and operate from the concerned State Pollution Control Board or Pollution Control Committee granted under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 (6 of 1974), and the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 (14 of 1981);

(g) "disintegration " means the physical breakdown of a material into very small fragments;

(h) "extended producer's responsibility " means the responsibility of a producer for the environmentally sound management of the product until the end of its life;

(i) "food-stuffs " mean ready to eat food products, fast food, processed or cooked food in liquid, powder, solid or semi-solid form;

(j) "facility " means the premises used for collection, Storage, recycling, processing and disposal of plastic waste;

(k) "importer " means a person who imports or intends to import and holds an Importer-Exporter Code number, unless otherwise specifically exempted.

(l) "institutional waste generator " means and includes occupier of the institutional buildings such as building occupied by Central Government Departments, State Government Departments, public or private sector companies, hospitals, schools, colleges, universities or other places of education, organisation, academy, hotels, restaurants, malls and shopping complexes;

(m) "manufacturer " means and include a person or unit or agency engaged in production of plastic raw material to be used as raw material by the producer.

(n) "multilayered packaging " means any material used or to be used for packaging and having at least one layer of plastic as the main ingredients in combination with one or more layers of materials such aspaper, paper board, polymeric materials, metalised layers or aluminium foil, either in the form of a laminate or co-extruded structure;

(o) "plastic " means material which contains as an essential ingredient a high polymer such as polyethylene terephthalate, high density polyethylene, Vinyl, low density polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene resins, multi-materials like acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, polyphenylene oxide, polycarbonate, Polybutylene terephthalate;

(p) "plastic sheet " means Plastic sheet is the sheet made of plastic;

(q) "plastic waste "means any plastic discardedafter use or after their intended use is over;

(r) "prescribed authority " means the authorities specified in rule 12;

(s) "producer " means persons engaged in manufacture or import of carry bags or multilayered packaging or plastic sheets or like, and includes industries or individuals using plastic sheets or like or covers made of plastic sheets or multilayered packaging for packaging or wrapping the commodity;

(t) "recycling " means the process of transforming segregated plastic waste into a new product or raw material for producing new products;

(u) "registration " means registration with the State Pollution Control Board or Pollution Control Committee concerned, as the case may be;

(v) "street vendor " shall have the same meaning as assigned to it in clause (l) of sub-section (1) of Section 2 of the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014 (7 of 2014);

(w) "local body " means urban local body with different nomenclature such as municipal corporation, municipality, nagarpalika, nagarnigam, nagarpanchayat, municipal council including notified area committee (NAC) and not limited to or any other local body constituted under the relevant statutes such as gram panchayat, where the management of plastic waste is entrusted to such agency;

(x) "virgin plastic " means plastic material which has not been subjected to use earlier and has also not been blended with scrap or waste;

(y) "waste generator " means and includes every person or group of persons or institution, residential and commercial establishments including Indian Railways, Airport, Port and Harbour and Defense establishments which generate plastic waste;

(z) "waste management " means the collection, storage, transportation reduction, re-use, recovery, recycling, composting or disposal of plastic waste in an environmentally safe manner;

(aa) "waste pickers " mean individuals or agencies, groups of individuals voluntarily engaged or authorised for picking of recyclable plastic waste.