Plastic waste problem
2020-21 report by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) : four million tonnes of plastic waste are generated annually.
Only a quarter of this waste is recycled or treated, with the rest ending up in landfills or being disposed of unsustainably.
Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016 have mandated that users of plastics are responsible for collecting and recycling their waste.
EPR rules
The Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) rules, were initially voluntary but are now enforced through an online EPR trading platform
EPR system involves packagers, importers, and large industrial users of plastic packaging, as well as professional recyclers, registering with the CPCB
Recyclers, who have networks to collect plastic waste, recycle the waste and receive validated certificates for each tonne recycled.
These certificates can be uploaded to a dedicated CPCB portal and purchased by plastic packaging companies that fall short of their annual recycling targets
In 2022-23, the CPCB estimated that certificates for nearly 3.7 million tonnes of recycled plastic were generated.
Challenges
It was discovered that not all of these certificates were legitimate — there were approximately 6,00,000 fraudulent certificates.
Additionally, hackers reportedly stole several thousand certificates last year and sold them to companies.
Actions taken
CPCB commissioned an audit of nearly 800 firms, representing almost a fourth of the 2,300 registered recyclers who had traded certificates.
It undertook a comprehensive overhaul of the security features on the EPR trading platform, although this has delayed the process of filing returns for 2023-24 by several months
Way forward
A market-driven approach to solving plastic waste has a significant but limited effect.
Greater efforts must be made to curb plastic production and promote sustainable alternatives.
Addressing the root causes of plastic waste and enhancing the effectiveness of recycling systems are crucial in mitigating India’s plastic waste problem
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