Did you know? While tyres are essential for modern modes of transportation, they also are a significant factor in environmental pollution. Tires do not decompose and end up in landfills & dump yards, where they release harmful chemicals into the air, ground, & water, thus altering their ecosystem.
Therefore, it is important to find sustainable solutions to manage waste tyres. The Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is one such solution that has gained significant attention in recent years.
‘EPR for Waste Tyres’ is a new policy introduced by the Union Ministry for Forest and Climate Change in the 5th Amendment of the Hazardous and Other Wastes (Management and Transboundary Movement) Rules, 2016, on 21st July 2022.
This blog will cover the benefits of EPR for waste tyres, what it means for producers and how they can comply.
Benefits of EPR for Waste Tyres
EPR is particularly important for waste tyres, as they are a major source of environmental pollution and pose several health risks if not disposed of properly. In this context, EPR can bring several benefits to the management of waste tyres, like:
Reduces reliance on other disposal methods:
EPR can help to reduce the negative environmental impacts of waste tyre disposal methods such as burial or burning. By promoting proper recycling and disposal of waste tyres, EPR can help to mitigate these impacts and ensure a more sustainable waste management system.
Minimizes the burden on local authorities
With EPR, the responsibility of waste management shifts from the government to the producers. This can lead to cost savings for local municipalities, which may no longer have to bear the entire cost of waste management.
Ensures proper recycling and refurbishment
EPR can help to ensure that waste tyres are reused or recycled to create new products or materials, reducing the need for virgin resources. This also reduces the volume of waste that needs to be disposed of, and the associated environmental impacts.
Facilitates swift & easy disassembly of products
By promoting easier and quicker disassembly of products, EPR can help to separate the materials that make up a product, such as tyres, more easily. This reduces the need for landfilling and incineration.
Encourages conservation of scarce resources:
EPR encourages the reuse and recycling of waste tyres, reducing the demand for new raw materials and the associated environmental impacts of resource extraction. Through EPR, producers are incentivized to design products with recyclability in mind, ensuring that materials like rubber from waste tyres can be reused in new products.
Reduce waste generation volumes
By promoting proper disposal and recycling of waste tyres, EPR can help to reduce the volume of waste that ends up in landfills or incinerators, reducing the associated environmental impacts and promoting a more sustainable waste management system.
What EPR for Waste Tyres Means For Producers
Definition & Responsibilities
The new Amendment defines the producer as any business entity or individual that:
- Manufactures & sells new tyres domestically,
- Sells tyres under its brand domestically,
- Sells imported new tyres
- Imports vehicles that are fitted with new tyres,
- Imports new tires to be fitted in new vehicles to be sold domestically, or
- Imports waste tyres.
According to the Schedule IX of the Amendment Rules, the producer is responsible for fulfilling the EPR responsibility by purchasing their Extended Producer Responsibility certificate only from a registered recycler.
They are also responsible for filing the quarterly and annual forms specified by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPBC) on its portal by the end of the month after the relevant quarter.
Environmental Compensation & Prosecution
Producers that fail to register on the CPBC portal and submit their EPR certificates in compliance with the provisions set by the Hazardous Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2022 will be liable to pay an environmental compensation determined as per the CPCB guidelines.
Apart from environmental compensation imposed as per the CPCB guidelines for non-compliance, any producer that provides improper information to acquire EPR certificates, generates EPR certificates for more than the actual amount recycled by over 5% or willingly violates the provisions of the 9th Schedule is punishable with either imprisonment of up to 5 years, a fine of up to Rs 5 lakhs, or both.
Ensuring Compliance with EPR for Waste Tyres
As per the new Amendment Rules, the producers must register on the Central Pollution Control Board portal before starting or resuming their operations. Their obligations imposed as per the new rules are divided based on the entities they have registered as, on the CPBC portal.
For Manufacturers or Importers of New Tires
The EPR obligations for producers under this category are shown in the table below:
| Sr. No. | Year | Waste Tyre Recycling Target (Weight in KG or Tons) |
|---|---|---|
|
(i) |
2022-2023 |
35% of the quantity of new manufactured or imported tyres in the year 2020-2021 |
|
(ii) |
2023-2024 |
70% of the quantity of new manufactured or imported tyres in the year 2021-2022 |
|
(iii) |
2024-2025 |
100% of the quantity of new manufactured or imported tyres in the year 2022-2023 |
|
(iv)
|
After 2024-2025 |
100% of the quantity of new tyres manufactured or imported in the year (Y-2), where Y is the current year
|
|
(v) |
Units established after April 1, 2022 |
Atoxico years (Y) and shall be 100% of the new tyres manufactured or imported in the year (Y-2), where Y is the current year |
For Importers of Waste Tyres
The EPR obligation for waste tyres is 100% of tyres they have imported in the previous year (Y-1), where Y is the current year
The Bottom Line
The EPR rules for waste tyres is a significant move by the authorities to reduce the ill effects of other waste tyre disposal methods like landfills and burning, which can prove harmful to the environment.
However, it also presents a challenge for producers as no standard operating procedures (SOPs), guidelines, or by-laws have been released thus far to guide businesses for compliance with the Amendment Rules.
Fortunately, companies like Recykal help businesses navigate these regulations and ensure compliance with the EPR requirements. By partnering with Recykal, PIBOs can ensure they meet their EPR obligations while promoting a more sustainable and responsible waste management system.
Visit https://recykal.com/epr-loop/ today to learn more.
