RECYCLING
Mpact Plastics LEADS THE WAY The introduction of the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Regulations in South Africa has been a major step towards a circular economy. Many businesses are now having to adjust their day-to-day operations to meet these new regulations.
What are the EPR Regulations? The EPR Regulations are a policy instrument for the sustainable organisation and financing of specific waste streams, including discarded packaging and single-use items. These regulations require ‘producers’ to assume responsibility for the entire product life cycle of ‘identified products’ – from production, through its useful life, up to and including the end-of-life stage – and aim to reduce waste to landfill and waste leakage into the environment.
How does this differ from how these products were dealt with previously at the end-of-life stage? Previously, the management of identified products at the end-of-life stage was handled by local government, who assumed responsibility for the waste in terms of where waste would be collected from, using either a one- or two-bag
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ReSource
for EPR ReSource speaks to Neelin Naidoo, MD at Mpact Plastics – a leading local plastic packaging supplier – about the how the business has prepared for this new era of waste management in South Africa.
system. Waste collected in a one-bag system is disposed of at landfill sites, where waste pickers would retrieve recyclable materials. Waste separated at source using a two-bag system would go to a materials recover y facility, where valuable recyclable materials are separated and sent for recycling. These systems will continue under the new EPR Regulations; however, the producer will be required to meet set collection and recycling targets for different classes of identified products.
products into the local market; and, third, the volumes of the identified products must exceed 10 t/annum per category specified. It is suggested that businesses consult the legislation for detailed definitions of ‘identified products’ and ‘producer’, or contact the relevant producer responsibility organisation (PRO) to verify their legal obligations. Should you be classified as a producer, you are required to either develop your own EPR scheme, or join a PRO that will develop and manage an EPR scheme on your behalf.
Who is included in the EPR Regulations as producers, and what must these businesses do to be compliant?
What is a PRO, and what is their role in the context of the EPR Regulations?
There are three considerations that determine whether the regulations apply to your business. First, your business must fall within the definition of ‘producer’; second, it must place identified
A PRO is a non-profit organisation established by producers of one or more classes of identified products and is managed by a board of directors comprising representatives from the producers. PROs assume responsibility on behalf of the
