Rs.2 Crores Grant To Set Up TSDF On Public Private Partnership17 August : Financial assistance is given for setting up this Treatment, Storage and Disposal Facilities (TSDFs). to dispose hazardous waste in the country.
This scheme has been formulated for disposal of waste from industries which is harmful to environment. Under this scheme, the Ministry of Environment & Forests provides a grant to the tune of Rs.2 crores with a proportionate contribution from the State Government for setting up of TSDF on a Public Private Partnership involving the Central and State Government and a private enterprise through Build Operate Own (BOO) principle.
The Ministry of Environment and Forests have notified the Hazardous Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 1989 as amended in 2000 and 2003 under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. These rules regulate the collection, storage, transportation, treatment, disposal, import and export of hazardous wastes listed in the Schedules annexed to these rules. As per the provisions under these rules, the industries are required to treat and dispose the hazardous waste in an environmentally sound manner.
The import of hazardous wastes is regulated under rules 11 to 14 of the said rules. According to these rules, any hazardous waste containing or contaminated with the hazardous waste categories listed in Schedule 8 of these rules is also prohibited for imports.
However, imports of hazardous wastes listed in Schedules 3 and 4 of the Hazardous Waste (Management and Handling) Rules as amended in 2003, is permitted into the country for recycling and reprocessing only on a case by case basis. The import of hazardous waste is also regulated under the Export Import Policy of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
The recycling and reprocessing of hazardous wastes is allowed to be carried out only by the units registered as recyclers with the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and having environmentally sound management facilities for recycling such wastes. The registered recyclers recycle both the indigenously generated as well as the imported hazardous waste.
The Government of India is a Party to the Basel Convention on Control of Trans-boundary Movement of Hazardous Wastes and their disposal which is the International Treaty for regulating the trans-boundary movement of such wastes. The Government of India has ratified the same in 1992. The trans-boundary movement (import and export) of hazardous wastes is also regulated under this Convention requiring a prior consent in writing from the importing country for handling such waste in an environmentally sound manner.