Tarun Karthick
Sri Vijaya Puram, 10 June 2025
In a bid to strengthen the management of plastic waste and ensure accountability among stakeholders, authorities have called on all Producers, Importers, Brand Owners, and plastic raw material businesses—including those operating at micro and small scale—in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to register on the Centralised Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Portal developed by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), as mandated under the Plastic Waste Management Rules, requires producers, importers, and brand owners—including manufacturers of compostable and biodegradable plastics—to manage their plastic packaging waste through responsible methods such as recycling, reuse, waste-to-energy, co-processing, roadmaking, and industrial composting.
To streamline EPR implementation, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) introduced specific guidelines under Schedule II of the 4th Amendment to the Plastic Waste Management Rules on February 16, 2022. These guidelines led to the creation of a centralized online portal for registration of relevant stakeholders.
Entities operating in more than two States or Union Territories must register with the CPCB, while those functioning in one or two States/UTs are required to register with the respective State Pollution Control Boards or Pollution Control Committees. Additionally, Plastic Waste Processors (PWPs) must also register on the portal as per Section 13(3) of the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016.
The latest amendment, dated March 14, 2024, further expanded the registration requirement to include manufacturers, importers, and sellers of plastic raw materials—even at the micro and small scale level.
Officials have warned that failure to comply with these requirements may attract action under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, including the imposition of environmental compensation as per the CPCB’s guidelines.
Who Must Register:
– Producers: Manufacturers of plastic packaging or intermediate materials.
– Manufacturers: Those producing plastic raw materials, including biodegradable variants.
– Importers: Commercial importers of plastic packaging or related raw materials.
– Sellers: Vendors of plastic resins, pellets, or intermediate packaging materials.
– Brand Owners: Entities selling products under a registered brand or trademark.
Registration & Resources:
– EPR Portal: https://eprplastic.cpcb.gov.in/
– SOP for PIBOs: https://eprplastic.cpcb.gov.in/plastic/downloads/SOP PIBOS_0001.pdf
Authorities have urged all eligible entities in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to comply immediately and contribute to a more sustainable and accountable plastic waste management ecosystem.