2018 to 2026 explained: this guide covers what it means, who it applies to, the step-by-step process, documents required, fees, due dates and penalties in India — so you can stay compliant with confidence and avoid costly mistakes.
The Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016 were notified by G.S.R. 320(E) on 18 March 2016 and have been amended ten times since. The changes moved the Rules from a carry bag and local body framework to an extended producer responsibility regime with a portal, recycled-content targets and enforcement by local bodies. This article lists each amendment by date and number, with what its own text changed.
These Rules are current as amended up to the Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2026 (G.S.R. 237(E), 31 March 2026). Later amendments, CPCB guidelines and notifications should be checked. If you need to know which version of a rule applied to a past year or which applies now, our compliance advisory team can map it for your business.
There are ten amendments, in 2018, 2021 (two), 2022 (two), 2023 (two), 2024, 2025 and 2026. The biggest are G.S.R. 133(E) of 2022 (EPR guidelines in Schedule II), G.S.R. 201(E) of 2024 (raw material suppliers, local body duties, labels) and G.S.R. 237(E) of 2026 (recycled-content and reuse tables, local bodies as enforcers). Rule 15 was omitted in 2018; rules 18 and 19 were added in 2022 and 2025.
The dated table
| No. | Notification and date | Short title | What it changed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | G.S.R. 285(E), 27 March 2018 | Amendment Rules, 2018 | Added definitions of "alternate use" and "energy recovery"; reworded rule 9(3) on multi-layered plastic; substituted rule 13(2) (application in Form 1 for registration or renewal); omitted rule 15 |
| 2 | G.S.R. 571(E), 12 August 2021 | Amendment Rules, 2021 | Brand owner and plastic waste processor added to rule 2(1); new definitions (non-woven bag, plastic waste processing, single-use plastic commodity, thermoset, thermoplastic); in rule 4, carry bag thickness raised to 75 microns from 30 September 2021 and 120 microns from 31 December 2022, 60 GSM for non-woven bags, prohibited single-use items from 1 July 2022 and a ten-year rule for later prohibitions; compliance duties added for local bodies and Gram Panchayats; rule 13(1) extended to the CPCB |
| 3 | G.S.R. 647(E), 17 September 2021 | Second Amendment Rules, 2021 | Rule 4(1)(b) substituted: recycled plastic carry bags and products may be used for ready to eat or drink food subject to FSSAI standards |
| 4 | G.S.R. 133(E), 16 February 2022 | Amendment Rules, 2022 | Rule 9(1) pointed to guidelines in Schedule II; Schedule II (Guidelines on EPR for Plastic Packaging) inserted |
| 5 | G.S.R. 522(E), 6 July 2022 | Second Amendment Rules, 2022 | New definitions (biodegradable plastics, end of life disposal, plastic packaging, plastic waste processors, pre- and post-consumer waste, reuse, use of recycled plastic, waste to energy); importer redefined; rule 9 reworked; rule 10 substituted (compostable and biodegradable protocols); rule 11 labelling; rule 13 reworked and (6) omitted; rule 18 on environmental compensation inserted; Schedule I substituted; Forms I, IV and VI changed; Schedule II para 3 omitted and 7.8 replaced |
| 6 | G.S.R. 318(E), 27 April 2023 | Amendment Rules, 2023 | Dates in the proviso to rule 10(5) changed from 2023 to 2024; rule 11(1)(a) extended to rigid plastic packaging; rule 13(2) renewal words omitted and 13(9) substituted (one year, then three); Schedule II 6.6 (PAN, GST, CIN, optional Aadhaar) and return dates for 2022-23 |
| 7 | G.S.R. 807(E), 30 October 2023 | Second Amendment Rules, 2023 | Rule 2(3) export-unit exemption from rule 9(1); producer and carry bag definitions; rule 4 extended to plastic packaging; rule 11(1) substituted; rule 12 substituted; rule 13 registration reworked and (9), (11) omitted; rule 16 substituted; Schedule II 6.3, 12.9 and 15A |
| 8 | G.S.R. 201(E), 14 March 2024 | Amendment Rules, 2024 | Definitions of importer, manufacturer, producer, seller and biodegradable plastics; rule 4(1)(e), (h), (ha), (3A) and (5); rules 6, 7 and the new 7A on local body and Panchayat duties; rule 9(1), (2), (2A); rule 10 provisos and (7); rule 11(2) to (4); rule 13(4A), (4B), (8); rule 17 substituted; Schedule II obligated entities, Category V, 7.8, 8.5 to 8.9, 10 and 15 |
| 9 | G.S.R. 73(E), 23 January 2025 | Amendment Rules, 2025 | Rule 11(1A): barcode, QR code, brochure or unique number option from 1 July 2025; rule 19 (action for contravention) inserted |
| 10 | G.S.R. 237(E), 31 March 2026 | Amendment Rules, 2026 | Rule 3 clauses (ga), (qa), (qb), (w), (ua) to (uc); rule 11(2) substituted; rule 12(3A) to (3C) inserted; rule 16(1) and (2) amended; rule 17(5) amended; Schedule II 7.2(d), 7.3(d), 7.4(b) and (e), 12.4 and 13.1 |
The story in three phases
2018 to 2021: widening the net
The 2018 amendment tidied definitions and omitted rule 15. The 2021 amendments are the ones that made the Rules visible to the market: the thickness steps for carry bags, the prohibited list that took effect on 1 July 2022, and the FSSAI condition for recycled plastic in food contact. For the product rules as they stand, see rule 4.
2022 and 2023: EPR becomes the engine
G.S.R. 133(E) and 522(E) built the EPR framework: Schedule II, the categories, registration, the environmental compensation rule and the biodegradable protocols. The 2023 amendments moved registration to a one-time model, added the export-unit exemption and recast the State Level Monitoring Committee. The Schedule II tables are explained in our targets article.
2024 to 2026: suppliers, labels and enforcement
The 2024 amendment brought plastic raw material manufacturers, importers and sellers into registration and reporting, extended duties to district Panchayats, introduced labels for recycled, compostable and biodegradable plastic and added the certificate price band. The 2025 amendment let labelling information be given in a QR code from 1 July 2025 and inserted rule 19, which links contravention to section 15 of the Act. The 2026 amendment substituted the recycled-content and reuse tables and made local bodies and Panchayats enforcement authorities, as explained in rules 10 and 11 and definitions in rules 1 to 3.
Dates and titles to watch
- G.S.R. 647(E) bears the date 17 September 2021 in its own text; some later notifications' notes print 17 August 2021 for it.
- G.S.R. 522(E) is dated 6 July 2022 in its own text and was published in the Gazette issue of 7 July 2022; later notes print either 6 or 7 July 2022.
- The 2018, 2024 and 2026 notifications use the short title "Amendment Rules"; the second notification of 2021, 2022 and 2023 uses "Second Amendment Rules".
Why the history matters
A return, label or registration may have been governed by an earlier version. For example, the rule 13 renewal wording applied until 2023, and the dates in rule 10(5) on provisional certificates were set to 2024 in 2023. Where you need the text of a rule as it stood in a given year, take it from the notification in force then.
Who is affected
Producers, importers, brand owners, recyclers and processors, raw material suppliers, local bodies, Panchayats and State Boards, and any advisor reviewing past returns or notices.
Example
Evergreen Packaging Limited is asked by an auditor why its 2022 carry bags were 75 microns. The compliance team shows the rule 4(1)(c) text as inserted by G.S.R. 571(E): 75 microns from 30 September 2021, rising to 120 microns from 31 December 2022, and confirms that its 2023 stock met the higher figure.
Need help reading the amendment trail?
Old returns, labels and registrations can turn on which version applied. Our compliance advisory team can help you reconstruct the position year by year and plan the transition to the current text.
Key takeaways
- Ten amendments between 2018 and 2026; rule 15 omitted in 2018; rules 18 and 19 inserted in 2022 and 2025.
- G.S.R. 133(E) (2022) created Schedule II; G.S.R. 201(E) (2024) widened registration and reporting; G.S.R. 237(E) (2026) added recycled-content and reuse tables and local enforcement.
- The QR code option for labelling dates from 1 July 2025.
- Use the notification itself for dates, and check later amendments.
Read next
- Rules 1 to 3: application and definitions
- Rules 10 and 11: compostable plastics and marking
- Paragraphs 7 and 8 of Schedule II: targets and recycled content
- Section 6 of the EP Act: rules to regulate environmental pollution
Disclaimer: Based on the environment rules, guidelines and notifications named above as published in the Gazette of India, read with every amendment notified up to 3 October 2026 that the article names (consolidated reading texts from the CPCB 2021 compilation and the Goa State Pollution Control Board 2025 compilation were checked against the amending notifications), as consulted on 3 October 2026. Later amendments, CPCB guidelines, State Board orders and fees should be checked. This article is general information, not legal advice; check the official text before acting.