EPR rules changing for batteries, e-waste and packaging

4 October 2022

Colourful streets, smiling people, and the attractive scent of spices and tea… all of this gives a great picture of a country that many love to visit.

However, this beautiful image shouldn’t distract from the everyday problems that many countries like India face: one of the most important being waste.

In India, waste is generated by a population of 1.252 billion people concentrated mainly in urban areas. For example, according to the Report of the Central Pollution Control Board, each person in Delhi generates
43 kg of solid waste per year.

The Indian government is responding to this challenge by adopting a solution that has already helped European Union countries to tackle their waste problems: extended producer responsibility (EPR).

India took its first step towards EPR in 2000 by setting up the Municipal Solid Waste Rules, which provided the basis for waste management in the country. The legislation has since evolved over the last two decades.

This year, the Indian Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change introduced a new set of EPR rules for batteries (August 2022), e-waste (draft, May 2022), and packaging (July 2022). The rules change the definition of the obligated party to include the local manufacturer, as well as the importer.

These producers must now register and prepare reports on meeting EPR targets for collection, reuse, and recycling. Furthermore, packaging, battery and electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) producers are obliged to draw up an Action Plan to show how ERP targets will be met.

EEE producers must also meet the legal requirements by themselves, following the deletion of the provision relating to producer responsibility organisations (PROs).

In response to these upcoming changes in waste management, Landbell Group hosted a delegation from the Ministry of the State of Uttarakhand at its headquarters in Mainz in September 2022 (see article here).

The visit provided the opportunity to explain how the EPR system operates in Germany and to further develop waste management solutions and know-how in India.

India is one of the countries covered by Landbell Group’s regulatory tracking service. Find out more about the service here.