The 2016 Plastic Waste Management Rules outline the Extended Producers Responsibility, or EPR, regime. The regulations require those that produce plastic garbage to take action to reduce waste creation, avoid littering, maintain separated waste storage at the source, and transfer segregated waste in compliance with regulations. Producers, importers, and brand owners are accountable for making sure that their waste plastic packaging is processed by recycling, reusing, or disposing of it at the end of its useful life. (such as co- processing/ Waste-to-energy/Plasticto-oil/roadmaking/industrial-composting).
Producers, Importers, and Brand Owners (PIBOs) are required under these recommendations to register with the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The Extended Producer Responsibility program will cover plastic packaging trash generated both before and after consumer use.
Registration on the centralized portal developed by CPCB?
The following entities shall register on the centralized portal developed by CPCB:
- Producers of plastic packaging; Importers of all imported plastic packaging and/or plastic packaging of imported goods;
- Brand Owners (BO) of supermarkets, retail chains, and online platforms;
- Plastic Waste Processors involved in (a) recycling, (b) waste to energy, (c) waste to oil, and (d) industrial composting, excluding those that meet the requirements of the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Government of India.
|
S.No |
Categories of Plastic packaging under EPR |
Description |
|
1 |
Category 1 |
Rigid Plastic Packaging |
|
2 |
Category 2 |
Carry bags, plastic sachets or pouches, plastic sheets or similar materials, and flexible plastic packaging in single or multilayer (more than one layer with different types of plastic) configurations |
|
3 |
Category 3 |
Plastic packaging that is multilayered, with at least one layer of plastic and one layer of a material other than plastic |
|
4 |
Category 4 |
Biodegradable plastic bags and packaging materials composed of plastic sheets |
Responsibilities of PIBOS
Producer, importer, and brand owners is what PIBO stands for. All PIBOs operating in India that utilize plastic packaging in their operations, regardless of their volume of business or size, are subject to the EPR requirements and must register on the EPR Portal and comply with the following obligations:
- Reusing
- Making Use of Recycled Content
- Utilize
- disposal of last remains
- Participating voluntarily in the recovery and collecting of plastics
- File yearly reports: For the interim Registration period, annual reports must be filed by June 30 of the following year.
- Present certification documentation (Plastic credits).
Process to Register, Comply and Obtain EPR Certificate
Step 1: The process begins with registration at the CPCB/SPCB and the filing of the necessary paperwork, which primarily consists of a KYC, an action plan, an agreement, certifications, licenses, and other applicable documents.
Step 2: Within a year, the authorized waste management company will retrieve the agreed-upon quantity of post-consumer plastic waste from the designated area and recycle or properly dispose of it in accordance with CPCB/SPCB regulations.
Step 3: To demonstrate their garbage collection efforts, the waste collection provider will provide the necessary documentation.
Step 4: The agency of PIBOM shall report to CPCB on a quarterly basis.
Step 5: The agency will annually submit a final report to PIBOMs following the conclusion of the activity.