In India, 'extended producer responsibility' was introduced as an important feature in which of the following?

Answer: (c) The E-Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2011

The E-Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2011 first made producers responsible for collecting and recycling their products.

The idea

Extended producer responsibility stretches the polluter-pays principle to the end of a product’s life. The company that sold the product must also take it back and recycle it. E-waste was the first target because it holds both toxic metals (lead, mercury, cadmium) and valuable ones (gold, copper).

Producer sells a phone → Phone reaches end of life → Producer must collect it back → Sends it to an authorised recycler → Must meet a yearly collection target

The trap

Plastic EPR is in the news now, but it came later (2016 Plastic Rules).

Also know

The idea then spread: Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016; E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022; Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022; and later rules for waste tyres and used oil. Producers register on a Central Pollution Control Board portal and can buy recycling certificates to meet their targets.