Page 84 - Shashwat - Restoring Green Economy

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ƒ Segregation of waste at source is
key for resource recovery of EPR
products. Producer companies
must contribute significantly
to improve awareness of source
segregation and the need to recycle.
ƒ Plastic waste and electronic waste
are spread across the country.
There is a lack of formalized
reverse logistics companies as
setting up a collection network
could be extremely complex and
expensive.
ƒ The informal sector manages
around 90% of all waste streams.
long-term viability and productivity paper, paperboards, etc. But waste Upgrading these to the formal
of their business. Sustainability is no collectors and ragpickers typically means of responsible waste
longer a niche trend, but something don’t collect this waste (MLP). As a management while ensuring
that these businesses really believe result, streets, dumps, and sewage their adherence to compliances is
in and are leading the charge for, canals are littered by this waste. To challenging.
especially in the packaging industry. counter this, ITC stepped in buying
MLP waste from garbage collectors Scope of EPR in
To give you another example of at the very beginning and then
EPR, let us consider the case of sorting it with the help of SWaCH India
ITC. In October 2019, Fast-Moving before sending it to recyclers such as In 2016, in India, the concept of
Consumer Goods (FMCG) major Shakti Plastic. At the recycling unit, EPR was brought into the Plastic
ITC introduced the country’s ITC invested in technology to help Waste Management Rules, 2016. In
first Multilayered Plastic (MLP) convert the MLP waste into pellets, Maharashtra, the government has
collection and recycling initiative in used for making daily items, such as introduced a buyback mechanism. In
Pune, tying up with a waste-pickers’ plastic chairs, stools, buckets, mugs, this mechanism, the manufacturer
cooperative – Solid Waste Collection and so on. It is an end-to-end solution is supposed to print their name, the
and Handling (SWaCH) – and where sustainable plastic waste type of plastic used, and a recycling
recyclers, such as Shakti Plastic to management is the ultimate objective. price/buyback price on their product.
ensure sustainable plastic waste They are then supposed to buy it
management. MLP is difficult to back from the consumer at that price
3
recycle and poses a major challenge Challenges in and send it to the recycling units.
to all stakeholders as far as the use of Implementation of EPR policies should bring about
plastic is concerned. User industries, effective collaborations between
including packaged food companies, EPR various stakeholders, such as the
argue there is no replacement to While it is worthwhile for companies central and state governments,
MLP, which basically consists of to tackle the issue of plastic waste producers, consumers as well as
multiple layers of plastic and other management through the EPR the informal sector to effectively
materials such as aluminium foils, mitigate the effects of climate
programme that makes it mandatory
for firms to take back the plastic change and pollution caused by
3 Pinto, V. S. 2019. ‘ITC launches first plastic waste. Stringent EPR policies
multilayered plastic collection, recycling waste generated by their products,
drive in Pune.’ In Business Standard. Details there are some challenges too in the would be instrumental in ensuring
available at https://www.business-standard. the implementation of the sacred
com/article/companies/itc-launches-first- implementation of EPR that include
multilayered-plastic-collection-recycling- the following: 3R principle (reduce-reuse-recycle),
drive-in-pune-119100201010_1.html hence facilitating a circular economy.