Responsibility for the disposal of packaging of goods shifted to its producers
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Russia adopted a law on ROP
The State Duma adopted a law aimed at improving the extended producer responsibility (EPR) mechanism for goods and packaging. From January 1, 2024, the responsibility for the disposal of packaging will lie entirely with the companies producing plastic.
Recall that the draft law on the ROP periodically “drowned” in endless approvals in the State Duma for a whole year. Perhaps that is why the deputies decided to “close” the sore point radically and adopted it immediately in the second and third readings. The increase in the level of recycling of plastic packaging will take place gradually: 55% of the mass of packaging in 2025, 75% in 2026. From 2027, 100% of the packaging put into circulation should be recycled.
As part of the RPR, reporting and automation will be carried out through the electronic system of the Unified Federal State Information System for accounting for waste from the use of goods. “This is an important systemic decision that will make the system very transparent, and administration issues will be much easier,” Deputy Alexander Kogan said during a speech in the State Duma.
A register of bona fide waste recycling companies will appear. The preforms (those who blow them) will pay for the disposal of the packaging. Producers and importers of goods that have not provided independent disposal of waste from the use of goods will pay an environmental fee. Its base rate will be formed, among other things, on the basis of the average costs of transportation, accumulation, processing and disposal of a unit mass of the product.
As Vadim Petrov, chairman of the Public Council of Roshydromet of the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation and one of the co-authors of the draft law on ROP, Vadim Petrov explained to MK, in fact, the eco-fee is a fine from the manufacturer for refusing to recycle plastic. The methodology for calculating the base rate of the eco-fee should be determined by the government. “The current eco-fee rates vary from 2.7 thousand to 36 thousand per ton, depending on the material. But the calculation method has not changed for 6–7 years. This is very painstaking work. And before January 1, 2024, it will be difficult to determine a new methodology and recycling standards. Especially considering the huge size of our country and, accordingly, transport costs,” the expert noted.
Another important issue that remains “in the fog” is the intended use of the funds raised. According to the law, the collected environmental fees will go to the general state wallet. “If we want to invest the collected money for the development of the EPR system, we need a special fund, which the President of the Russian Federation instructed to create back in 2014. And it turns out that the money collected from preform manufacturers can be used to recycle paper or tires,” Petrov emphasized. He recalled that when disposing of MSW, it is very difficult and unprofitable to separate organic matter from plastic. For this reason, the EU banned the use of single-use plastic on its territory two years ago.
According to Victoria Saar, head of the Ecosophy project of the Presidential Platform “Russia is a Land of Opportunities”, the adopted law on EPR will stimulate investment in the production of recycled goods and packaging, but one should not forget about the “green” education of citizens. According to a recent study by VTsIOM, 52% of Russian citizens already have sustainable eco-habits. Many people pay attention to eco-labels on packages, confirming the “second” life of plastic. To increase the effectiveness of innovations, according to Saar, it is necessary to introduce new educational courses in parallel. Today, at the Institute of Education under the Ministry of Education, methodological manuals for conducting environmental education lessons in kindergartens and schools, which were developed by the participants in her project, are being verified for verification.
Andrey Ivanov, CEO of HC Logoprom, also proposed incentives with benefits, incl. tax, participants in the aqua vending market, when consumers use their canisters to replenish supplies of clean water at vending machines. According to him, in the United States, many management companies of apartment buildings sell water by subscription in reusable bottles with a capacity of 19 liters. Water bills are included in a single utility bill. At the same time, the management company, and not just the preform manufacturer, bears the costs for the disposal of PET bottles.
“If we want to solve the main task of the MSW management reform — to ban the disposal of secondary resources by 2030 — we need to create a separate federal project on EPR. The experience of Germany, which has created an efficient waste management industry that annually brings about 500 billion euros to the country’s GDP, is a clear confirmation of this,” Vadim Petrov concluded.
Newspaper headline:
plastic money
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