The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Towards a zero waste society

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Dec 02, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Towards a zero waste society

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI, DEC. 1. Appealing to industry to voluntarily come forward for a zero waste society, civic agency, Exnora International, has asked producers to take responsibility for waste generated during the life of their products.

At the moment, the onus of managing waste falls on end-users of products and municipal bodies, who are often ill-equipped to manage waste effectively, said a press release issued by Exnora.

Calling this an `end-of-pipe' arrangement, they suggested a move towards sustainable production and consumption systems, in which resources would be used more efficiently.

Although the Municipal Solid Waste (Mangement and Handling) Rules 2000 emphasised segregation, regulated waste collection, composting and recycling, it did not stress on preventing unnecessary waste or fixing responsibility on manufacturers and producers to manage waste or dispose of `special waste', they said.

Exnora International has called upon governments to enact laws on disposal, product labelling, mandatory take-back, eco-tax on environmentally unfriendly products and set energy efficiency standards. The civic body has also asked that the Government to impose restrictions on hazardous materials and products.

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