India tightens plastic waste rules to boost recycling and reuse

The Government of India has officially notified the amendment of its Plastic Waste Management Rules. The update aims to facilitate circularity through the mandatory use of recycled plastic and reusable packaging.

The notification released by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change sets categories for recycled plastic use over a phased timeline.

For Category I (rigid packaging), the required recycled content increases from 30% in 2025 and 2026, to 40% in 2026 and 2027, 50% in 2027 and 2028, and 60% from 2028 onwards. 

For Category II (flexible packaging), the target is 10% in 2025–2027 and 20% after that.

For Category III (multi-layered packaging), the requirement is 5% in 2025–2027, increasing to 10% in 2027–2028, and staying at 10% from 2028 onwards.

The text includes exemptions for the packaging of products where the use of recycled content is legally restricted, such as in food and pharmaceutical applications.

The amendment sets the formal definition of reuse as: “Using an object or resource material again for either the same purpose or another purpose without changing the object’s structure.”

Brand owners are required to grow their use of reusable rigid packaging for medium-sized formats (0.9–4.9 L) from 10% to 25% over the 2025–2029 period. Higher reuse targets are applied for large water containers over 4.9 L, starting from 70%. 

For large non-water containers, the reuse requirement increases from 10% to 15% of packaging formats.

Commitment to circularity 

Dr. Amit Krishan, an environmental specialist at Altinok Consulting Engineering, tells Packaging Insights: "The updated Plastic Waste Management Rules are a positive step toward a circular economy. The recycled content targets are ambitious and may be challenging in the short term due to gaps in collection, segregation, and quality recyclate availability."

"For India’s packaging sector, this will drive redesign, higher recycled material use, and stronger EPR compliance. While it may increase costs initially, it will also encourage innovation and long-term sustainability. Overall, this ia a necessary and forward-looking move."

The legislation mandates decentralized enforcement through urban local bodies, Gram Panchayats (village-level self-government institutions), and District Panchayats (top-tier rural local self-government) that are preparing for the implementation. 

 State-level monitoring committees with multi-stakeholder representation are also empowered through the legislation.

Last year, India’s Association of PET Recyclers Bharat told us that legislation has successfully boosted India’s PET recycling industry, accelerating food-grade usage and recyclate exports.

Meanwhile, an environmental agency cautioned that there are loopholes in India’s national recycling policy and pointed to the issue of illegal waste imports.