Bengaluru: Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is a concept that is widely prevalent abroad, and is fast gaining ground in the state. Under EPR, the producers are responsible for the processing of post consumer use waste generated by their products.

Mangaluru has set up its first dry waste collection centre recently, sponsored by the local plastic manufacturers association and an NRI has set up power from plastic waste plant at the city’s industrial area.

Now the BBMP is moving in that direction by by trying to rope in the major manufacturers of difficult-to-recycle products.

 India is yet to enact a law making EPR mandatory. The lack of a law in this regard has stopped BBMP from making EPR mandatory in the city.

BBMP’s Special Commissioner for Solid Waste Management Darpan Jain said that the civic body is in talks with large-scale manufacturers of such waste to put up processing units in the city. He said manufacturers of rubber tyres, plastic packaging material, sanitary napkins, aerosol bottles and other materials that pose a challenge to recycling would be roped in to take responsibility for their products.

Mr. Jain said that BBMP already had held talks with some leading firms manufacturing sanitary napkins and that the response is positive.

Urban expert V Ravichander, associated with Social Venture Partners, Bengaluru who have come up with a study “Extracting Value from Bengaluru’s Dry Waste Chain” and suggested the EPR initiative, said that an EPR regime is the future as the responsibility for waste management moved up-chain through the initiative.