In Uttarakhand, point and shoot plastic

In Uttarakhand, point and shoot plastic

Subject : Environment

Section: Pollution

Context: The Himalayan State is implementing a QR code-based project to prevent littering the Char Dham route with plastic bottles and packets.

More on the News:

• The Uttarakhand government has chosen the Char Dham yatra route that includes temples at Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri to implement a unique waste-disposal system in the Himalayas.
• Hemkund Sahib and the Valley of Flowers will also see the implementation of a QR-code-based system that will streamline collection of waste and reduction of garbage along the route.
• Visitors will scan a QR code on each plastic bottle and multi-layer plastic bag (of chips or biscuits) and pay a deposit over the maximum retail price (MRP). They can claim this amount back as a refund when they deposit the waste at a point at the end of the yatra.
• Last year, the project was piloted during the summer months, and executed compulsorily in Kedarnath, en route to the centuries-old Shiva temple on the banks of the Mandakini river.
• The project last year saved 1.63 lakh single-use plastic bottles from entering the fragile mountain ecosystem.

Importance of Himalayas

• Source of Rivers: Abundant rainfall and vast snow-fields as well as large glaciers in Himalayas are the feeding grounds of the mighty rivers of India.
• Critical for Energy Security: Almost 33% of the country’s thermal electricity and 52% of its hydropower is dependent on river waters originating in the Himalayas.
• Sustaining the Monsoon: The Himalayas play a very significant role in influencing the climate of India. By virtue of their high altitude, length and direction, they effectively intercept the summer monsoons coming from the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea and cause precipitation in the form of rain or snow.
• Tourism: By virtue of their scenic beauty and healthy environment, the Himalayan ranges have developed a large number of tourist spots.

Challenges in the region:

• No Proper Waste Management: The cities of the Himalayas are growing and beginning to see the same root as the cities of the plains from mountains of garbage and plastic, untreated sewage, unplanned urban growth and even local air pollution because of vehicles.
• Unsustainable Tourism: Unfortunately, our mountains are treated only as tourist destinations without realizing that over draining resources beyond a point can be disastrous.
• Climate Change: Melting ice and snow due to climate change form new glacial lakes, as well as increase the volumes of existing ones. This could raise the threat of glacial-lake outburst floods.

Extended Producer Responsibility

• Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is a policy approach that holds producers responsible for the entire lifecycle of their products, including their environmental impact. EPR is based on the principle that the producer of a product should bear the responsibility for the environmental and social impact of that product, even after it has been sold and used.
• This includes the collection, reuse, recycling, and proper disposal of products and their packaging. EPR shifts the burden of waste management from local governments and taxpayers to the producers, who have the knowledge and resources to design and manage a sustainable product lifecycle.
• EPR typically includes the following components:
  • Product design: Producers are encouraged to design products that are more durable, repairable, and recyclable.
  • Collection and recycling: Producers are responsible for setting up collection and recycling systems for their products, and ensuring that the products are properly recycled or disposed of.
  • Financing: Producers are required to finance the collection and recycling of their products, either through direct payment or through contributions to a producer responsibility organization.
  • Reporting: Producers are required to report on their EPR activities, including the amount of waste generated, the amount of waste collected and recycled, and the costs of EPR.