Dikhyaa Mohanty 
Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) set to bring in a new regulation that will focus on the extended producer’s responsibility (EPR) which will give a new chapter to the packaging industry utilising plastic in any form.
According to the MoEF&CC official, it is stated that the new regulation will change the manner in which all kinds of recycling are done and this will also bring in a lot of accountabilities. Extended producer’s responsibility (EPR) means that the producer is responsible for the product till its very end of life and has to ensure reverse collection after the consumer has deemed it as waste.
As per the reports, two years ago, the Centre proposed these rules for EPR for the plastic packaging industry. It would mean that the manufacturer will be deemed responsible for managing the reversal from the consumer end and recycling or treating it. The idea is to put back into the system by either presenting it in a new form or extracting resources in the remnant that is back from the consumer.
The official further added that the recyclers will necessarily need to have a GST registration number else we will not recognise that firm. This will not just ensure transparency but also leave a trail for them to check anything at any time. They will need the least enforcement in that scenario. The EPR would be applicable not just for regular recyclers but for producers first and even to brand owners.
