Involve NEERI And IIT Delhi In Your Study To Check Environmental Concerns Posed By Pyrolysis Industry : NGT To CPCB [Read Order]

A bench led by Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel were informed that the study is proposed to be carried out by CPCB, in four months time, after it received representations from the All India Rubber & Tyre Recyclers Association, Mumbai (AIRTRA), where they have claimed that Advance Automated Plants addresses all the environmental concerns as raised by the CPCB. While the Pyrolysis Industries Association, Punjab, claimed that existing batch plants are meeting the norms and SOPs.

The bench has been hearing a petition filed by Social Action for Forest & Environment (SAFE), highlighting the issue of absence of proper management of End-of-Life Tyres/Waste Tyres (ELTs) in accordance with the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, Environment (Protection) Rules, 1986, Hazardous and Other Wastes (Management and Transboundary Movement) Rules, 2016, CPCB Guidelines for Environmentally Sound Management of End of Life Vehicles, 2016 and Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) issued by the MoEF&CC.

The plea prayed for complete ban of ELTs in Pyrolysis Industries due to non-implementation of the existing laws by the Pyrolysis Plants resulting in adverse environmental impact. Comprehensive performance assessment of pyrolysis industries should be ordered to be done through the SPCBs or an independent agency in order to gauge the magnitude of the

problem at hand. The principle of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) must be made mandatory for tyre manufacturers as well as tyre importers. A comprehensive time bound implementation plan be put in place for ELTs in conformity with various laws, Rules and

Guidelines on Waste Tyres, to be executed by a Task Force.

The CPCB after receiving report from the State Pollution Control Boards and Pollution Control Committees, filed a detailed report in the tribunal stating "Out of 678 tyre pyrolysis units, 270 units are complying, 250 units are not complying and 155 units are closed/not in operation. CTO of 02 units are under renewal. Out of these two units one unit is operational and another unit is closed. 01 unit has applied for online consent and the case is under

Process.

The CPCB also issued directions to all State Government and Union Territories (UT) to close

down all such pyrolysis units in your State/UT which are not complying as on date with consent conditions and SOP of the MoEF&CC. By direction issued on December 31, 2019, it directed that for regulating location of tyre pyrolysis industries in light of the carrying

capacity of the area. Henceforth, any new/expansion of existing tyre pyrolysis industry be granted consent to establish or amendment in consent to establish only after assessing the carrying capacity of the area. You are also directed to ensure that the health of workers involved in the tyre pyrolysis industries is safeguarded.

The Tribunal has directed the CPCB to oversee the directions issued by it and file a compliance report on or before June 30. The report should mention details of the environmental compensation assessed and recovered. The court will take up the matter for further hearing, on July 14