Pune: Post-plastic ban, the State introduced Extended Producers Responsibility (EPR) in July 2018 for the plastic manufacturers and producers but did not set any guidelines. The government had given time for the plastic producers to work on its mechanism, but the producers and manufacturers were helpless as there are no set guidelines for EPR and so they are demanding the State government to set guidelines under which they can work.
Sameer Joshi, a member of Chief Minister’s Plastic Task Force, said, “The EPR system was introduced in Solid Waste Management Rules of 2016 by the Central government. After the plastic ban, EPR was introduced again and the plastic manufacturers and producers were told to formulate their mechanism of collecting their plastic brand and give it to the recycling unit. But the mechanism was not taking place in a proper way as there were no set guidelines given by the government.”
“Also, it is industry suggestion that the companies who have huge turnover should be only given the responsibility to carry the mechanism of EPR because those companies could only spend and carry out the activity in right manner,” Joshi said.
Nikhil Rathi, the Secretary of Maharashtra Plastic Manufacturers Association, said, “Initially, the EPR system was introduced by the Central government in 2016 in the Solid Waste Management Rules, however, it was not implemented. In January 2018, when the State government came up with notification of blanket plastic ban the EPR again came into the picture and after the plastic ban was implemented the State government made it compulsory to all the producers and manufacturers of plastic. Later the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) of Central government had given notice to all the Pollution Control Boards of India to hold the EPR system because there are no proper guidelines provided for it. But State government is not following the notice given by the Central government and they are making raids on any shops and levying fine for it.”
