Centre notifies EPR norms for plastic packaging waste

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 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 compulsory under the new rules.

After recycling the mandated percentage of plastic, a company would have to submit a certificate to the relevant authority and if more than the mandated amount is recycled, it could be sold to other companies. “The idea is to create an eco-system of recycling and incentivising it. Recycling will now be driven by market forces. We expect more companies to enter the recycling market and this will create a circular economy,” said a ministry official.

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 producer, importer and brand owner for collection and recycling of plastic packaging waste. The guidelines specify three categories. The second category relates to flexible plastic packaging of single layer or multilayer. The third category covers multi-layered plastic packaging and one of material other than plastic).