New recycle regulations will see consumers paying more

NEW regulations recently gazetted for plastic retailers have introduced a new set of problems that may end up with consumers carrying the cost for its implementation.

The new Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations for sectors of lighting, electronic equipment, paper and packaging has made it mandatory for plastic retailers to take full responsibility for what happens to the packaging and product once it is sold.

This will ensure that a product is being recycled and packaged in a sustainable manner.

Janine Will, a senior associate in the commercial department of law firm Garlicke and Bousfield Inc, said: “The biggest impact on consumers will be felt at the till as the costs of running extended producer responsibility schemes are likely to be transferred to them. This will result in higher prices. The EPR fee will be indicated as a separate line item on every invoice and cash sale receipt.”

She said consumers are not required to return waste to the producers, but the producers will be required to encourage the returns from their customers.

WWF South Africa Project Manager for the circular plastics economy Lorren de Kock said: “Producers who place products such as electronics, lighting and packaging on the market now need to take responsibility for these products at the end of their life. Previously, this responsibility has been for local government with varying results. Most of this waste generated was going to landfill.

She said the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (Daff) hoped that EPR would recover the waste streams for e-waste, lighting and packaging. It will be costly but this regulatory instrument is being rolled out in many countries globally due to under-investment in the waste sector.

“EPR is a progressive tax, so in other words the consumer will be charged more for goods that are for example excessively packaged or that have expensive end-of-life costs,” she said.

De Kock said very few to no businesses had taken responsibility for their products till the end-of-life stage in South Africa. Therefore EPR is a very new approach. Ironically, the same brands in other countries have been successfully participating in EPR for decades.

Following the implementation of the regulations, businesses met with Daff to communicate their concerns over the EPR regulations.