Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) has ensured smooth waste management, be it plastic, e-waste, tyres, or any other. The Central Pollution Control Board and the State Pollution Control Board are the concerned stakeholders in granting the EPR certificate to the applicants who have submitted the registration application on the EPR portal.
EPR registration is essential to ensure accountability in the management of plastic waste. It is crucial to submit a registration application on the EPR portal promptly. To promote sustainable behaviors, the EPR portal centralizes efforts to track and minimize plastic waste by registering waste processors, importers, producers, and brand owners.
In the end, this method contributes to a circular economy by streamlining compliance, promoting recycling, and supporting environmental protection to promote sustainable development.
CPCB’s Notice for Submission of Registration Application on EPR Portal
The notice issued by CPCB on March 14th, 2024, stated that all plastic waste producers, importers, brand owners, and producers must submit the registration application on the EPR portal without fail. Due to maintenance activities in the portal from March 18th to April 24th, the deadline has now been increased to May 31st. The PIBOs and PWPs can now submit the registration application on the EPR portal because of an extended time limit.
SPCBs/PCCs are the authorities to either grant fresh or renew the existing expired license of the applicants applying for the same. They are also required to check the mandatory requirement of including the registration number that has been issued to them on the consent granted by the authorities.
These license holders are not allowed to sell plastic packages, any commodity in plastic packaging, or even recycled plastic products to producers or brand owners (not including those who fall into MSME) who have not filed the registration application on the EPR portal. To comply with this, the registration number of the producers and brand owners has been mandatory in the GST invoice for the purchase of commodities.
The EPR guidelines, which is the amendment IV to the Plastic Waste Management (PWM) rules and was released by the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change (MoEFCC) on February 16th, 2022, stipulated in Clause 2.0 that the guidelines went into immediate effect from February 16th, 2022. All these importers, manufacturers, brand owners, and producers are required to submit the application as per Clause 6.0 provided in the EPR guidelines.
Any delay related to the submission of the registration application on the EPR portal after May 31st, 2024, will not be entertained, and these organizations will not be able to fulfill their EPR obligations. It is highly advised that these organizations submit the registration application as soon as possible to be in line with the EPR obligations.
