A workshop in Dehradun was organised by SDFU and IMI on September 30, 2022 with the collaboration of UNEP and TERI. It focussed on debating and discussing the issues in solid and plastic waste management and specifically the significance of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) in the Indian Himalayan States.

Shri Saurabh Bahuguna, Minister in the government of Uttarakhand was the Chief guest of the workshop.  In his address he highlighted the issue of waste management in Char Dham Yatra mentioning that public participation is key to bring about change. He further stated that companies also have to be held accountable for the plastic waste crisis not only in Uttarakhand but the entire Himalayan Region.

Other dignitaries and experts from SPCB- UK, UNEP, Elected representatives of Local Bodies, Civil Society members participated in the workshop and shared their concerns and discussed pathways for addressing plastic waste management.

The sharing of knowledge, debate, concerns and deliberations during the course of the workshop discussed the importance of people’s participation but also that it is critical for producers of plastic waste to be held accountable. Segregation at source, and involvement of a wide range of stakeholder – hotels, restaurants, educational institutions, government offices, etc. were also discussed along with the adoption of a decentralised approach for waste management.