Objectives of Extended Producer Responsibility have been the essence of most policies and legislation which deal with the management of recyclable commodities. The growth in the consumption of diverse complex commodities since the past decade has led to a grave environmental issue. Inadequate management of waste that is generated has also become a topic of concern for these policymakers. Various authorities have, for a few years, imposed the responsibility on the producers of commodities to overtake the duty of carrying out their end life management. The choice then lies with the producers, if they want to choose to delegate this responsibility to a third party, an organization known as Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO). It is defined as an organization that is authorized and financed by producers who take the responsibility for the collection and channelization of e-waste obtained from the ‘end-of-life’ of their commodities to enable efficient management of such e-waste. It also helps producers in meeting their EPR targets through different processing technologies for plastic waste. A PRO is required to specify its capacity for handling waste, including its capacity for collection, storage, and recycling with brands or producers it has arranged for recycling such waste. The regulation of PRO by CPCB is an excellent step in the process of management of waste. For the success of EPR and PRO, the management plays a pivotal role along with an effective regulatory framework that clearly defines the role of stakeholders and guidelines for producers.
The PRO helps and assists Producers/Brand Owners by:
Successfully achieving collection targets
Enabling collection techniques like a door to door collection
Proper implementation of buyback/take back
Establishment of collection points like godowns or warehouses according to the policies of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)
Arrangements of logistics
Enabling and ensuring sound methods of recycling
Spreading awareness by conducting programs on collection and channelization of e-waste
Assisting brand owners in the filing of returns according to the rules
Providing with an extended producer’s responsibility plan.
Registration of PRO
The form that has to be submitted to CPCB for registration of PRO is annexed with the guidelines for plastic and electronic waste management. The guidelines for plastic waste management, unlike those of e-waste management, stipulates the following basic requirements:
Registration from any statutory body
A minimum of 5 years of experience in Waste Management
Success stories for disposal of waste
TAN, GST, AND PAN numbers
However, for both cases, CPCB has the power to scrutinize, verify, and examine each application and make it’s decision individually. The estimated time for response by CPCB is 25 days.
