WAJAHAT SHABIR
Srinagar: The Ladakh Pollution Control Committee (LPCC) has told the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that the Union Territory has strengthened its measures for controlling plastic waste, including enforcement against banned single-use plastic (SUP), awareness campaigns, waste segregation and implementation of plastic waste management rules.
The submissions have been made in an affidavit filed before the NGT Principal Bench, New Delhi, in Original Application No. 993/2024, concerning the news item titled “Package: Where has the Plastic Waste Disappeared”, published in The Times of India on July 30, 2024.
The affidavit was filed on behalf of the Union Territory of Ladakh on September 19, 2026. REPLY BY LADAKH PCC IN OA NO. 9…
According to the affidavit, the Administration of Ladakh, through the LPCC and other concerned departments, has undertaken awareness and outreach activities aimed at sensitising the public about the environmental consequences of plastic pollution and promoting responsible waste-management practices.
The LPCC said awareness programmes have been conducted involving students, workers, shopkeepers, tourists and the general public. Activities included drawing and essay competitions, awareness campaigns and door-to-door initiatives, while banners and other information material were displayed at prominent locations, including schools, hospitals, markets and public places.
The affidavit states that enforcement of the ban on identified single-use plastic items has been undertaken through a Union Territory-level Special Task Force, district-level task forces and enforcement personnel.
It further states that inspections were conducted at commercial establishments, including restaurants, shops and other vulnerable locations, while awareness and enforcement activities were intensified in tourist destinations and other high-footfall areas.
According to the LPCC, during enforcement drives, approximately 0.134 tonnes of banned single-use plastic items were collected and around ₹76,500 in fines were imposed/collected.
The affidavit also refers to enforcement measures undertaken by the Ladakh Police, including directions to police personnel to check vehicles at entry points of Ladakh, Manali and Srinagar for banned single-use plastic items. It says seized SUP items have been disposed of through the prescribed mechanism.
On collection and transportation, the LPCC said plastic waste generated within the territorial jurisdiction of the Union Territory is collected through the concerned Urban Local Bodies and other designated agencies as part of the existing municipal solid-waste management system.
The affidavit states that the collected plastic waste is segregated, transported and channelised for further environmentally sound management in accordance with the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, as amended.
It further says recyclable plastic waste is processed at the Material Recovery Facility (MRF), where segregation is carried out largely through a trommel machine, followed by further processing and sorting of recyclable materials.
The segregated recyclable waste is then sent to a recycling agency. The affidavit says that a Ladakh Recycling Solutions facility in UT Ladakh has an installed processing capacity of around 12 TPD.
The administration has also stated that the existing disposal arrangement is being strengthened in view of prevailing infrastructure and geographical constraints in Ladakh and that collected plastic waste is not subjected to open dumping, open burning or any other environmentally unsound method of disposal.
On the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework for plastic packaging, the LPCC said it was undertaking awareness and stakeholder sensitisation regarding registration and compliance requirements under the Central Pollution Control Board’s EPR portal.
The affidavit states that, according to the records available with the LPCC, no producer, importer or brand owner is presently operating within the territorial jurisdiction of the Union Territory of Ladakh, while the committee is coordinating with concerned departments and agencies to identify entities that may fall within the EPR framework.
The affidavit also places on record government orders through which task forces were constituted for implementation of the Plastic Waste Management Rules.
A UT-level Special Task Force was constituted to prepare a comprehensive plan for eliminating SUP and strengthening implementation of the Plastic Waste Management Rules, while District Level Task Forces were constituted for Leh and Kargil.
The terms of reference include assessment of plastic waste generated in Ladakh, strengthening collection and disposal mechanisms, enforcement of the ban on identified SUP items, promotion of alternatives, strengthening ULBs/Panchayats for collection and transportation, monitoring implementation of the rules and preparing a roadmap for awareness and outreach.
Separately, an order issued by the Department of Forest, Ecology and Environment on 19 June 2026 provides for strict enforcement against identified single-use plastic and littering in the UT. The order authorises designated officers and officials to inspect, detect violations and issue notices/challans under the applicable rules.
The affidavit concludes that the Ladakh administration remains committed to implementing the Plastic Waste Management Rules through a combination of awareness, institutional mechanisms, enforcement, promotion of alternatives, scientific disposal and stakeholder participation.
The submissions were made in response to the NGT proceedings concerning questions over the management and disposal of plastic waste in Ladakh.
