Plastic has many uses, and due to its physical and chemical properties leads to huge commercial use and success. The indiscriminate disposal of plastic has, however, become a major environmental threat. In particular, plastic carrying bags are the main contributors to littered waste and, every year, millions of plastic bags end up in the atmosphere vis-à-vis the soil, water bodies, rivers, etc it takes an average of one thousand years to decompose completely. Therefore, the Plastic Waste (Management and Handling) Regulations, 2011 were notified in 2011, which included plastic waste management, to tackle the problem of scientific plastic waste management. In violation of the earlier Plastic Waste (Management and Handling) Regulations, 2011 the government notified the Plastic Waste Management Regulations, 2016.
EPR, or Extended Producer Responsibility, is a policy approach that aims to make producers responsible for the end-of-life management of the products they produce.
The Plastic Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is a concept that requires manufacturers and producers of plastic products to take responsibility for the end-of-life management of their products. It is implemented by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) under the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016 and applies to all companies that produce, import, or sell plastic products in India. The EPR scheme is aimed at reducing the environmental impact of plastic waste and promoting sustainable waste management practices. It requires companies to register with the CPCB and implement a plastic waste management plan, and pay a fee for the registration and for any services provided by the CPCB under the EPR scheme. Failure to comply with the rules can result in penalties and fines.
PLASTIC– means a material which contains as an necessary ingredient a high polymer such as high density polyethylene , vinyl , polyethylene , terephthalate , polypropylene , polystyrene, multi materials like acrylonitrile butadiene styrene , Polyphenylene oxide , polycarbonate , Polybutylene Terephyhalate.
Categories of Extended Producer Responsibilities:
Category 1- Rigid Plastic packaging
Category 2– Flexible plastic packaging of multilayer or single layer (multilayer means more than one layer with different types of plastic) plastic sheets or like and covers made of plastic sheet, carry bags, plastic sheet or pouch.
Category 3-Multilayered plastic packaging
Category 4– Plastic sheet or like used for packaging as well as carry bags made of compostable plastic
Objective of Extended Producer Responsibility
According to the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, it is the obligation of waste producers/importers to appropriately dispose of or recycle post-consumer E-waste. Extended Producer Responsibility (E.P.R.) is an environmental and economic strategy to manage a product’s lifecycle.
EPR refers to the producer’s obligation for managing the disposal of products once they have been declared as no longer useful by customers. It’s a producer’s commitment to make it easier for end-of-life, post-consumer trash to be collected and recycled. The goal is to create a system that takes care of material collection, segregation, and transportation to a waste disposal facility. On the basis of quality and affordability, these materials can also be used in cement kilns, pyrolysis, road building, and recycling centres. Waste generators, such as brand owners/producers, must collect end-of-life waste generated by their operations. This obligation is met by waste recyclers that have been authorised by the Central Pollution Control board for in this regard. This provides financial incentives to brands to build marketplaces for reuse, buy-back, and recycling of materials. Companies can also entrust this task to a third-party.
The objective of extended producer responsibility (EPR) is to ensure that producers are responsible for the environmental impacts of their products throughout their entire life cycle, from the extraction of raw materials to the disposal or recycling of the products at the end of their useful life. This approach shifts the responsibility for managing the environmental impacts of products from governments and taxpayers to the producers who create and profit from these products. The goal of EPR is to incentivize producers to design and manufacture products in a way that minimizes waste and negative environmental impacts, and to promote the proper disposal or recycling of these products. This can help to reduce pollution, conserve natural resources, and protect public health.
Some of the initiatives vide EPR guidelines are:
- Increase the minimum thickness of plastic carry bags from 40 to 50 microns and specify a minimum thickness of 50 microns for plastic sheets also to encourage the collection and recycling of plastic waste
- Extend the applicability jurisdiction from municipal to rural areas, since plastic has also reached rural areas
- Introduction of system collecting back of plastic waste by producers/brand owners, as per extended producer responsibility.
- Promoting the use of plastic waste for road construction according to the guidelines of the Indian Road Congress or energy recovery, or waste to oil, etc. for the profit-making use of waste and also addressing the issue of waste disposal; entrusting further responsibility to waste generators, namely payment of user fees as prescribed by local authorities, collection and transfer of waste by the institutional generator, event organizer
Applicability
The Plastic Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is applicable on all companies that produce, import, or sell plastic products in India. This includes manufacturers, producers, and retailers of plastic products, as well as companies that use plastic packaging for their products.
The EPR scheme applies to a wide range of plastic products, including packaging materials, single-use items, and durable goods. It covers all stages of the product lifecycle, from the production and distribution to the end-of-life management of the products.
The EPR scheme is implemented by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) under the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016. These rules specify the responsibilities of producers and manufacturers, as well as the steps they need to take to ensure the safe disposal of their plastic products.
Companies that are covered under the EPR scheme are required to register with the CPCB and implement a plastic waste management plan. They also need to pay a fee for the registration and for any services provided by the CPCB under the EPR scheme. Failure to comply with the rules can result in penalties and fines.
The Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is applicable on the following people:
- Manufacturers and producers of plastic products, including packaging materials, single-use items, and durable goods.
- Companies that use plastic packaging for their products, such as food and beverage companies, cosmetic manufacturers, and pharmaceutical companies.
- Retailers and distributors of plastic products.
- Importers of plastic products.
- Anyone involved in the production, distribution, or disposal of plastic products.
The EPR scheme is implemented by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) under the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016. These rules specify the responsibilities of producers and manufacturers, as well as the steps they need to take to ensure the safe disposal of their plastic products.
Companies that are covered under the EPR scheme are required to register with the CPCB and implement a plastic waste management plan. They also need to pay a fee for the registration and for any services provided by the CPCB under the EPR scheme. Failure to comply with the rules can result in penalties and fines.