All out efforts will be taken to register all plastic manufacturers, Supriya Sahu, Secretary, Environment Climate Change and Forests, said on Tuesday. The public can also call in if they are aware of any plastic units which are operating without registration on the portal meant for extended producer responsibility (EPR), she said.
Speaking at a training workshop on EPR in plastics and packaging waste in India, she said our grandparents were the biggest EPR experts since they had a very successful zero waste policy. The Meendum Manjappai campaign of the State government, she said, was about going back to the basics and encourage the use of materials other than plastics.
Ms. Sahu said they planned to work with garbage collectors to ensure that plastic waste was collected. “There is a need to work with the informal sector,” she said, and added that as part of keeping beaches litter free, the government was working on naming two more ‘blue beaches’, similar to the one at Kovalam. A total of 10 beaches are to be taken up as part of the project.
Jayanthi M., Chairperson, Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB), said over 30 companies had registered in the EPR portal, and their registrations had been cleared. She said EPR would enable governments to precisely assess the plastic ecosystem and plan the way forward towards net zero and non-biodegradable-waste-free sustainable environment. Targets have been set for all categories of persons involved in the ecosystem.
Sreeram Srinivasan, Chief Project Director, Tamil Nadu Green Climate Company, also spoke on the need for EPR.
