Becomes first Urban Local Body in India to get Extended Producers’ Responsibility Certificate for Category-III plastic waste

Mysore/Mysuru: The city of Mysuru has gained national acclaim for its exemplary handling of plastic waste, with the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) becoming the first Urban Local Body (ULB) in India to receive an Extended Producers’ Responsibility (EPR) Certificate for Category-III plastic waste.

The MCC has been able to achieve this by following the best practices in waste management and the Civic Body is moving forward to make the waste management environmentally and economically sustainable by becoming first in Karnataka and second in India to register on the EPR Portal of Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

For the record, the Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) is India’s first ULB to be registered on EPR Portal of CPCB. This apart, the IMC has become the first in India to earn the EPR credits on Category-I plastic waste. 

The implementation of the EPR regime aligns with the Plastic Waste Management Rules of 2016 that places the responsibility on producers, brand owners and importers to ensure the proper processing of plastic packaging waste through recycling, reuse or appropriate end-of-life disposal methods.

MCC’s efforts have contributed to the conversion of 11 metric tonnes of packaging plastic waste into eco-friendly products, such as paver tiles and benches. Under EPR system, responsibility lies with producers to ensure the environmentally sustainable management of their products throughout their life cycle.

Recognising the need for effective plastic waste management, the MCC collaborated with Jagruth Tech, a local organisation, to devise a solution for recycling single-use plastic. This partnership has been operational for the past three years and has successfully transformed multilayer plastic waste into reusable items.

Ward wise, the MCC collects wet and dry waste and the Pourakarmikas and workers segregate dry waste like single-use plastic and multi-layer plastic. Multi-layer plastics are like noodles covers with one layer aluminium inside, covers of chips packets, chocolate, biscuit and other food packaging covers.

The MCC later hands them over to Jagruth Tech on daily basis to produce carbon negative products like interlocking pavers, bricks, kerbstone, etc.

Speaking to Star of Mysore, Dinesh Bopanna, the Director of Jagruth Tech, expressed pride in their innovative approach stating that their in-house and innovative technology has facilitated the creation of carbon-negative products, including bricks, kerbstones and interlocking pavers, from the low-value Category-III plastic. Bopanna explained that such plastics were previously ending up in landfills, contributing to carbon emissions. However, through their novel process, they have converted them into carbon-neutral products, reducing environmental impact.

MCC Officers said that such plastic wastes were also sent earlier to incineration at cement factories. Now, MCC is collaborating with Jagruth Tech to produce reusable products. By doing so, MCC has not only found a viable solution but also generated revenue while contributing to a circular economy.