Chandigarh Pollution Control Committee warns packaged food manufacturers

Dushyant Singh Pundir

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 12

Aimed at saving the environment from further degradation, the UT authorities will initiate action against the manufacturers of packaged food products if they fail to dispose of the waste generated by their products.

The UT Administration has imposed a ban on single-use plastic in the city. However, as the manufacturers could not find an alternative to three plastic products — plastic refill pouch having quantity less than 500 ml, straws attached with tetra packs and multi-layered packaging used for food or snacks packing — the UT Administration shifted these products to the list of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) as the quality of food would deteriorate in other products.

Under the EPR, the disposal of these plastic products is the responsibility of the manufacturer and it makes it mandatory for companies to collect back their plastic waste and recycle it.

“Small manufacturers have to pay local bodies to recycle the amount of plastic they produce. Whereas, medium and large manufacturers have to hire producer responsibility organisations (PROs) to recycle their plastic,” said Debendra Dalai, Member Secretary, Chandigarh Pollution Control Committee (CPCC).

“To get rid of multi-layered plastic waste, three PROs have been registered and one more organisation has applied for it. Verification of the documents of the fourth PRO is under process,” he said. “Every food product manufacturer has to tie up with a PRO for the collection and disposal of plastic waste on their behalf,” he said, adding that if any firm failed to hire a PRO for the collection of waste, action would be initiated against it and its products could be banned from entering the city.

He said data would also be collected from the PROs to match it with the plastic waste generated by the manufacturers on a regular basis.

In September 2019, the UT Administration had imposed a ban on single-use plastic.

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