RELEVANT CIRCULARS

S. No. Circular Summary

1. Public Notice: 46/2023 This communication addresses the applicability of the Plastic Waste
F. No. S/22-Gen-133/2017-118/AM(I)/JNCH Management Rules, 2016, with recent amendments, on imported
Subject: Clarification about applicability of goods. It highlights that Extended Producer Responsibilities now
Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016 apply to both pre-consumer and post-consumer plastic packaging
Date: 25.05.2023 waste. It also mentions Instruction No. 14/2023-Customs issued on
Issuing Authority: Office of the Pr. 17.04.2023, which clarifies clearance procedures for import
Commissioner of Customs (NS-1) consignments of plastic packaging products. If importers have
applied for registration on the Centralized PR portal, their goods
won't be held by Customs Authorities, and the officer must verify
the application status. Cases where registration is not filed initially
but submitted later are also addressed. Rejections or non-issuance
of registration must be reported within 6 months for statutory
action.
2. Instruction No.: 14/2023 Importers of plastic packaging items must register with
F. No. 401/11/2-22-Cus-II CPCB/SPCB/PCC during clearance. Delays are occurring due to
Subject: Registration of Importers as per pending registrations on the Centralized EPR portal, prompting
provision of Plastic Waste Management Rules, CPCB to request authorities to clear such consignments with proof
2016, as amended-reg of application submission. Real-time application status is available
Date: 17.04.2023 on the centralized EPR Portal's National Dashboard.
Issuing Authority: Government of India,
Ministry of Finance, Department of Revenue
(Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs)
3. Instruction No.: 1/2023 This notice refers to a communication from the Ministry of
F. No. 401/03/2023-Cus-III Environment, Forest and Climate Change, stating that the E-Waste
Subject: Implementation of E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022, will come into effect on April 1, 2023,
(Management) Rules, 2022 in supersession of superseding the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2016. These new
E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2016 – rules emphasize a modified Extended Producer Responsibility
Customs (EPR) and a market-based approach, with online procedures.
Date: 16.03.2023
Issuing Authority: Government of India, Port and Custom Authorities are required to verify import/export
Ministry of Finance, Department of Revenue, related to Extended Producer Responsibility, report any illegal
Office of the Commissioner of Customs, activities to the Ministry and Central Pollution Control Board, and
Chennai_II (Import) take action against violators under relevant laws. The notice
requests officers to be informed about their responsibilities under
these rules.
4. Instruction No.: 09/2022-Customs This notice highlights changes in Plastic Waste Management Rules
and Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules. It emphasizes
 F. No. 401/11/2022-Cus-II restrictions on plastic imports, including minimum thickness
Subject: Restrictions on import of products requirements for carry bags, prohibition of certain single-use plastic
made of plastic-reg items, and the need for importers to register on a centralized portal.
Date: 22.06.2022 Customs officers are urged to be aware of these restrictions, and
Issuing Authority: Government of India, any difficulties should be reported to the Board.
Ministry of Finance, Department of Revenue
(Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs)
5. Instruction No.: Not Provided This notice informs about the validity of import licenses for plastic
F. No. 401/26/2014-Cus.III (Pt.) and PET scrap issued under previous Hazardous Waste Rules, 2008.
Subject: Implementation of the Hazardous and These licenses are considered legal documents, but import is
Other Wastes (Management and limited to certain categories, including consignments already
Transboundary Movement) Rules, 2016 – arrived, in transit, under a Letter of Credit (LC), or with advance
regarding payment. Field formations, trade, and industry should be informed
Date: 30.09.2016 accordingly.
Issuing Authority: Government of India,
Ministry of Finance (Department of Revenue),
Central Board of Excise & Customs, New
Delhi
6. Public Notice No.: 33/2010 This notice specifies the conditions for import of plastic waste.
F. No. S/26-Misc-2505/09-10 Gr. II C&D
Subject: Import of Plastic Waste and Scrap
Regarding
Date: 19.03.2010
Issuing Authority: Office of the
Commissioner of Customs (Import)