Around 105 Urban Local Bodies (UBC), including Town Municipal Councils (TMC), in the State have registered for Extended Producers Responsibility (EPR) with the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Sources said they considered registration after Uttar Pradesh (UP) ULBs went for the same and made a profit.
According to an official in the Directorate of Municipal Council (DMC), Kalaburagi and Belagavi, which have proximity to cement factories, can make the best use of it, while Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is also aiming to earn good revenue. The City Municipal Councils (CMC) in Kalaburagi and Belagavi can give plastic to cement factories.
Under the EPR, the civic administration will first generate data on different kinds of plastics, including recyclable and non-recyclable after collection, and update the same with CPCB. The pollution control board gives a certificate to the CMCs. On the other hand, the brand owners who produce plastic waste get certificates and these certificates can be traded online.
This means the CMCs can now collect a fee from the brand owners for collection, segregation and processing of plastic waste.
An official told The Hindu that 105 ULBs registering with the CPCB is a massive fleet in terms of revenue generation as well as strengthening plastic waste management. Essentially, recycling will be streamlined with government bodies actively participating in the system along with other stakeholders like plastic generating companies. In Bengaluru, there are large companies involved in packaging.
While in Bengaluru, Dry Waste Collection Centre (DWCC) will play a key role in collection from the source, in other cities and towns, waste collectors and segregators will be involved in the system.
