Why in news?
A draft National Resource Efficiency Policy, 2019 has been proposed by MoEFCC.
Features:
- It seeks to set up a National Resource Efficiency Authority (NREA).
- It is the regulatory body that will be spearheading the initiative i.e. developing action plans, setting targets, capacity building etc. as well as collaborating with state governments and local ministries.
- An Inter-ministerial National Resource Efficiency Board (NREAB) will guide the NREA in areas of implementation.
- It proposes tax benefits on recycled materials, green loans to small and medium Enterprises (SMEs) and soft loans to construct waste disposal facilities, apart from setting up Material Recovery Facilities (MRF).
- Idea of the national policy is to drive the country towards a circular economy through the ‘principle of 6R’ and ‘green public procurement’.
- The 6R stands for reduce, reuse, recycle, redesign, re-manufacture and refurbish.
- ‘Green public procurement’ is to procure products with lower environmental footprints such as secondary raw materials and locally sourced materials.
- It also pitches for moving towards a ‘zero landfill’ approach in the country, hinting at the possibility of imposing ‘landfill taxes’ and ‘high tipping fees’ for bulk generators of waste.
- The draft policy includes a life-cycle analysis (LCA) of each sector, shedding light on resource use and GHG emissions at each stage.
- Each sector has a different set of interventions and targets based on the LCA and current resource use within that sector.
