SRINAGAR: The Ladakh Pollution Control Committee (LPCC) has apprised the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that authorities have recovered around 134 kg of banned single-use plastic and collected fines amounting to approximately Rs 76,500 during enforcement drives across the Union Territory.
The committee made the submission in an affidavit filed before the Principal Bench of the NGT, New Delhi, in connection with Original Application No. 993/2024, pertaining to a Times of India report published on July 30, 2024, titled “Package: Where has the Plastic Waste Disappeared”. The affidavit was submitted on behalf of the Union Territory of Ladakh on September 19, 2026.
The Ladakh administration has outlined the enforcement mechanism being used to prevent the use of prohibited single-use plastic (SUP) items. According to the affidavit, action is being carried out through a UT-level Special Task Force, district-level task forces and designated enforcement teams.
The teams have carried out inspections at restaurants, shops and other establishments, besides keeping a special focus on locations vulnerable to the use or disposal of banned plastic items. Enforcement and awareness drives were also stepped up in tourist destinations and areas witnessing heavy public movement.
The Ladakh Police has also been involved, with personnel directed to inspect vehicles entering Ladakh through entry points from Manali and Srinagar and check for banned single-use plastic items. Plastic items seized during such checks were disposed of through the prescribed procedure.
On the collection of plastic waste, the LPCC said waste generated across the UT is being collected by the concerned Urban Local Bodies and other designated agencies under the existing municipal solid-waste management system. The collected material is thereafter segregated and transported for further processing in accordance with the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, along with subsequent amendments.
The affidavit outlines that recyclable plastic waste is taken to Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs), where initial segregation is carried out largely with the help of trommel machines, followed by additional sorting and processing. After segregation, the recyclable material is transferred to authorised recycling agencies.
The administration stated that the Ladakh Recycling Solutions facility has an installed processing capacity of around 12 tonnes per day (TPD) .
The LPCC maintained that the plastic waste collected in the UT is not disposed of through open dumping or burning, or by any other method considered environmentally unsafe.
With regard to the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) mechanism for plastic packaging, the committee said it has been conducting awareness and sensitisation programmes for stakeholders regarding registration and compliance on the Central Pollution Control Board’s EPR portal.
As per information available with the LPCC, no producer, importer or brand owner is currently operating within Ladakh’s territorial jurisdiction. However, the committee said it is working with relevant departments and agencies to identify entities that may come under the EPR regime.
The affidavit has also placed on record various government orders concerning the constitution of task forces for implementing the Plastic Waste Management Rules. At the UT level, a Special Task Force was constituted to formulate a comprehensive strategy for eliminating identified single-use plastic items and improving enforcement. Separate District Level Task Forces were constituted for Leh and Kargil.
The task forces have been entrusted with examining the amount of plastic waste generated across Ladakh and identifying ways to improve its collection, transportation and disposal. Their responsibilities include ensuring compliance with the ban, encouraging alternatives and enhancing the capacity of Urban Local Bodies and Panchayats to handle plastic waste.
Meanwhile, the Department of Forest, Ecology and Environment issued an order on June 19, 2026, directing authorities to take stringent action against the use of identified single-use plastic items and littering in the UT. Under the order, authorised officers can conduct inspections, identify violations and serve notices or issue challans.
The submission was made before the NGT as part of proceedings examining concerns surrounding the handling, management and disposal of plastic waste in Ladakh. (KNO)
