Proposed guidelines on EPR in plastic waste released

The Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate has issued its much-awaited Guideline Document on Uniform Framework for Extended Producers Responsibility under Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016.

As per the document, the “primary responsibility for collection of used multi-layered plastic sachet or pouches or packaging is of producers, importers and brand owners who introduce the products in the market.”

The generators of waste have been mandated to take steps to minimize the generation of plastic waste, not to litter the plastic waste, ensure segregated storage of waste at source and handover segregated waste to local bodies or agencies authorized by the local bodies. The Committee has also suggested that a “suitable fee-based system” should be evolved depending on the quantum of production of plastics by these entities, which would be used “only for the purpose of plastic waste handling,  collection, segregation, treatment, and processing.”

The producers, within a period of six months from the date of publication of these rules, shall also be required to work out modalities for waste collection system based on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and involve State Urban Development Departments, either individually or collectively, through their own distribution channel or through the local body concerned.

The document acknowledges that one single model on EPR may not work for a diverse country like India. Hence, it was decided that apart from the fee-based model, PRO-based model will also become part of the overall implementation of EPR. Further, the individual producer, importer, brand-owner was also given a chance to execute his own project for the management of plastic waste under EPR compliance. A plastic credit-based model can also become part of over EPR implementation.”

The Ministry is seeking comments and suggestions about the Guideline Document which can be directly emailed to the following: ad.raju@nic.in or gupta.dharmendra@gov.in on or before 31st July 2020

Picture Credit: Photo by Bo de Visser from FreeImages