Aafrin Kidwai 
The National Green Tribunal has directed the Ministry of Environment and Forests to finalise the “Extended Producer Responsibility” (EPR) regime for plastic waste within three months saying that steps taken by it were “too slow”.
A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel said unscientific management of plastic waste is a serious hazard for the environment and public health, reports PTI.
EPR (Under Plastic Waste Management Rules 2016) puts the onus on the manufacturers for treatment, recycling, reuse or disposal of products after a consumer has used and disposed them.
“There is no justification for the long delay in finalisation of EPR models even after more than four years of the publication of the Rules. The same may now be finalised at the earliest, preferably within three months,” the bench said.
The NGT said that state level authorities also need to take necessary effective steps for enforcement, including coercive measures.
Environmental compensation and penal action regime proposed by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) may be duly implemented by state PCBs, State Level Monitoring Committees and all other concerned authorities, the tribunal said.
