The cost of mineral water and other water in glass containers can jump – in some cases by a third, business fears. There is a discussion in the government about who should deal with the disposal of bottles under the new concept of extended producer responsibility (EPR), which is planned to be created by the end of the year. One of the initiatives is to shift the task to glass container manufacturers. The Union of Producers of Soft Drinks and Mineral Waters (SPBN) is against. The organization sent a letter to the government (Izvestia has it).
According to current legislation, manufacturers of goods are responsible for the packaging for their products. They give it away for processing or pay an environmental fee. Usually companies choose the first option and do not pay the fee, SPBN president Maxim Novikov told Izvestia.
The League of Waste Paper Recyclers proposes to change the order – to assign responsibility for recycling to the producers of the packaging itself, he added. It will be difficult for them to collect it and send it for recycling, so they will have to pay the eco-fee and include it in the price of bottles. As a result, their cost will jump by a third, given the fact that the government, in accordance with the EPR, can oblige the business to recycle 100% of the packaging, says Maxim Novikov. The rise in price of packaging will proportionally affect the price of products. We are talking, for example, about mineral water, as well as drinks in small bottles (0.33 l and 0.25 l), added Maxim Novikov.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade considers it necessary to retain responsibility for the implementation of EPR on manufacturers of packaged products, the press service of the ministry told Izvestia. The department calculated that the maximum increase in the price of glass containers could be 30%, if at the same time the utilization rate is increased to 100% and the implementation of the EPR is established exclusively in the form of payment of an environmental fee.
The press service of the Ministry of Economic Development told Izvestia that there is a discussion on issues related to the standards of responsibility, as well as its transfer to packaging manufacturers. The postponement should not affect the size of the EPR fee, since it depends on the volume of products produced, the ministry noted.
Read more in the exclusive material of Izvestia:
With tara history: business warned of the risk of rising prices for mineral water