Centre notifies guidelines on Extended Producers Responsibility on plastic packaging under Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016

New Delhi [India], February 18 (ANI): The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on Friday, has notified the guidelines on extended producers responsibility on plastic packaging under Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016.
As per the ministry, the guidelines on extended producer responsibility coupled with the prohibition of identified single-use plastic items, which have low utility and high littering potential, with effect from 1st July 2022, are important steps for reducing pollution caused due to littered plastic waste in the country.
In a tweet message, Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav informing about the development stated that guidelines will promote the development of new alternatives to plastics and provide a roadmap for businesses to move towards sustainable plastic packaging.
The guidelines provide a framework to strengthen the circular economy of plastic packaging waste, promote the development of new alternatives to plastics and provide further next steps for moving towards sustainable plastic packaging by businesses.
The EPR guidelines will give a boost for formalization and further development of the plastic waste management sector.
In a significant first, the guidelines allow for the sale and purchase of surplus extended producer responsibility certificates, thus setting up a market mechanism for plastic waste management.
The implementation of EPR will be done through a customized online platform which will act as the digital backbone of the system.
The online platform will allow tracking and monitoring of EPR obligations and will reduce the compliance burden for companies through online registration and filing of annual returns. In order to ensure monitoring on fulfillment of EPR obligations, the guidelines have prescribed a system of verification and audit of enterprises. (ANI)