On 31st July 2024, the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change released the draft guidelines for Construction and Demolition (C&D) Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), now open for public consultation for the next 60 days. These guidelines are a crucial step towards sustainable waste management in the construction industry, setting the stage for more responsible practices.
Key Features of the Draft Guidelines
- Effective Date:
The guidelines will come into effect from 1st April 2025. - Scope of Application:
These rules apply to all activities related to construction, demolition, remodeling, renovation, and repair of any structure. - Definition of Construction and Demolition Waste:
C&D waste includes materials generated from construction, demolition, re-modeling, repair, and maintenance activities. It encompasses a wide range of materials such as soil, sand, gravel, bricks, masonry, concrete, metal, wood, plastic, and more. - Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR):
Under these guidelines, producers are responsible for managing construction and demolition waste, ensuring its environmentally sound management, and meeting recycling targets as outlined in Schedule-I. - Centralized Online Portal:
A centralized online interface developed by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) will facilitate the implementation of EPR, waste utilization frameworks, monitoring, enforcement, and act as a single data repository for C&D waste. - Who is a Producer?
A producer refers to a waste generator registered on the portal for a building or complex project with a built-up area of 20,000 square meters or more. - Role of Recyclers:
Recyclers are entities registered on the portal, engaged in recovering reusable material from C&D waste through on-site or off-site processing, and manufacturing value-added products. - Definition of Waste Generator:
The waste generator is the occupier of the project, having full control over the construction, reconstruction, or demolition activities that generate waste.
Who Needs to Register?
The EPR framework mandates registration on the portal for the following entities:
- Producers
- Operators of Intermediate Waste Storage Facilities
- Recyclers
Basic Modalities of C&D EPR
- The waste management plan must assess the quantum of waste from all streams in a reconstruction and demolition project. However, only the debris part of the waste—such as cement concrete, bricks, plaster, stone, rubble, and tiles—will be accounted for in assessing compliance with EPR targets.
- Readily resalable or reusable streams like iron, wood, plastic, metal, and glass will not be considered for EPR compliance assessment.
- Proceeds from the transaction of EPR certificates will be shared equally (50:50) between the implementing agency and the recycler.
EPR Targets
As per Schedule 1, the EPR targets are set as follows:
- 50% fulfillment for FY 25-26
- 100% fulfillment from FY 26-27 onwards
For a comprehensive understanding of the guidelines, you can access the full draft here.
Climeto is India’s leading EPR consultancy provider, assisting over 400+ organizations in complying with various EPRs as laid down and notified by the government. If you need expert guidance on meeting these new C&D EPR requirements, our team at Climeto is here to help.
Disclaimer: Above content does not constitute any legal advice and is only provided for educational purpose.
Climeto Sustainable Services Private Limited is an environmental consultancy. If you need any more information on the above you can contact us:
For Business Enquiry : business@climeto.com
For General Enquiry: info@climeto.com
Reach directly via call: +91-90399 46410