PUNE: A group of six law students has moved the National Green Tribunal ( NGT ) bench seeking directions to the government authorities to identify used condoms as a distinct waste and formulate a policy/strategy for their scientific disposal.The students have also sought directions to condom manufacturers to provide a pouch/wrapper with distinctive outward appearance for disposal of used condoms. They also want the companies to carry a caption, with readable font, size and wording, in their advertisements to explain the method for disposal of used condoms.On Tuesday, the bench of Justice S P Wangdi and expert member Nagin Nanda directed notices to be issued to the ministry of environment and forest, other central and state agencies and six condom manufacturers. The bench has posted the matter for a hearing on August 28.Nikhil Joglekar, Bodhi Ramteke, Vaishnav Ingole, Vikrant Khare, Omkar Keni and Shubham Biche are the student-petitioners who are part of a group called ‘Lawyers for Earth Justice’, which is into taking up causes of human rights and protection of environment.The petitioners referred to a survey while stating that India is one of the world’s largest producers of condoms with over 100 million pieces being sold every year.“Used condoms are often thrown into unsegregated trash either in the open or into trash cans or are burnt. Such disposal methods lead to social/environmental hazard as condoms are made of latex and are not completely biodegradable,” the students stated.They stated, “Waste pickers are often required to handle such waste with their bare hands, which is degrading and against the legal right to the dignity of labour. Condoms may not be considered as non-biodegradable plastic waste, but they can be considered as comparable with the bio-medical waste as seen in the Biomedical Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 1998 in view of the nature of the waste.”Lawyer Asim Sarode, who is representing the petitioners, said, “The definition of solid waste in Section 3 (46) of the Solid Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2016 includes solid or semi-solid domestic waste, such as waste comprising of used diapers, sanitary napkins or towels and condoms. As such, an important demand has been made in the petition that the condom manufacturers be asked to provide pouch/wrapper with a distinctive outward appearance for disposal of used condoms.”

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