At 11.5 lakh tonnes, TN's plastics processing capacity is five times more than target
Major chunk of household products, dairy brands yet to sign up for waste management
Pile of overflowing garbage
CHENNAI: Even as the city lay crushed under mounting plastic waste that adds to choked drains, which lead to subsequent flooding every monsoon, the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) has revealed a surprising data – that the state has a surplus capacity to process 9.2 lakh tonnes of plastic waste per annum.
While the total processing capacity of registered PWPs (Plastic Waste Processors) in Tamil Nadu is 11.5 lakh tonnes per annum, the total EPR (Extended Producers Responsibility) target set for registered Producers, Importers, and Brand Owners (PIBOs) is only 2.3 lakh tonnes per year, the data revealed.
Under the EPR initiative mandated by Plastic Waste Management (PWM) Rules, 2016, as many as 105 PWPs have been registered till August and 15 applications are under review. Similarly, 53 producers and 685 importers have been registered along with 68 brand owners.
Despite having the surplus plastic waste processing facilities, the data highlight that only 33 per cent PWPs have applied for EPR registration. The 11.5 lakh tonnes per year capacity is from registered PWPs alone.
Moreover, 79 per cent of household products brands and 74 per cent of the mineral water and beverages brands have yet to apply for the registration. Around 40 per cent of milk and dairy products brands and tyres, tubes and rubber industries have not applied.
On the other hand, a large quantity of packaging waste is dumped unsegregated, creating a huge gap in implementing the effective EPR initiative. In several cases of mindless dumping of waste, the National Green Tribunal has directed local bodies to address plastic waste problems under the EPR.
A TNPCB official said directives have been issued to unregistered PIBOs, and an EPR helpline cell was launched to help them. “As of August, as many as 14 training programmes on EPR registration process for PIBOs, PWPs and urban local bodies have been conducted,” he added. Under EPR guidelines, PIBOs are mandated to take the responsibility for the management of plastic packaging waste they introduce into the market through recycling, re-use or end-of-life disposal such as co-processing, waste-to-energy, plastic-to-oil, road laying and industrial composting.
