New Delhi: The Centre Pollution Control Board has launched a centralised Extended Producers Responsibility (EPR) portal for plastic packaging waste on trail bases.
The EPR Portal for Plastic Packaging provides provision for registration of plastic waste processors (PWPs) and producers, brand-owners, and importers (PIBOs) in accordance with the notified EPR Guidelines.
The portal will help in improving accountability, traceability, and transparency of the fulfilment of EPR obligations.
The Extended Producers Responsibility (EPR) regime is under implementation in the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, according to which it is the responsibility of producers, importers, and brand-owners to ensure processing of their plastic packaging waste through recycling, re-use, or end-of-life disposal.
In order to streamline the implementation process of EPR, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, in its fourth amendment to the Plastic Waste Management Rules, notified “Guidelines on Extended Producer Responsibility for Plastic Packaging.”
According to these guidelines, producers, importers, and brand owners (PIBOs) must register through the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) online centralised portal.
Accordingly, this portal has been developed to register PIBOs who are operating in more than two states with the CPCB, and those operating in one or two states or UTs shall be registered with the concerned State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs).
PWPs shall also have to register with the concerned SPCB/PCC in accordance with the provisions of Section 13(3) of the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016 on this centralised portal developed by the CPCB.
The portal is planned to have seven modules, which allow registration of PWPs and PIBOs, issuance of certificates by PWPs and exchange of credits, real-time monitoring of transactions between PIBOs and PWPs, levy of environmental compensation, and provides system-generated reports and facilitates filing of annual returns for the stakeholders.
This portal has been commenced with two modules for the registration of PIBOs and PWPs, respectively. The remaining modules will be integrated shortly.
To be implemented from July 1, the new regulations mandate recycling and reusing a certain percentage of plastic produced by manufacturers, importers, and brand owners.
Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said the guidelines would promote the development of “new alternatives to plastics and provide a roadmap for businesses to move towards sustainable plastic packaging”.
Registering with the central and state pollution control boards has also been made compulsory under the new rules.
The Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, mandate the generators of plastic waste to take steps to minimise it, ensure its segregated storage at source and hand it over to local bodies or agencies.
The rules cast Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) on producers, importers, and brand owners for the collection and recycling of plastic packaging waste. The guidelines specify three categories.
The second category includes single- and multi-layer flexible plastic packaging.The third category covers multi-layered plastic packaging and one made of material other than plastic.
D6GADH81IDEYAgYe4YU0S9ZYma9TJKb9UnJZiSrZU5D1wU2kiOf1GRcfwoh0vzXGbaayz5yNuZ6yP0O0BdTmTC2bhe4Y4PrF2D1cLES4e0FK6VDYf6aoxO54oytvTolegyYQJCPY82NietH1pzzVYnnTSUYOpLYlxQzRFZa3Vb4ks7VkFaZFmCTbY7Jnj5Wq21NptP0