A representative of the Department of Legal Affairs under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment said this at a seminar on the update and enforcement of extended producer responsibility (EPR) in accordance with the Law on Environment Protection 2020 held in HCMC on August 15.

The seminar was held in person and online with the participation of more than 200 business and association representatives in the waste recycling and treatment sector.

According to the Law on Environment Protection 2020, EPR consists of waste recycling responsibility and waste collection and treatment.

Waste recycling responsibility is applied to products and packages that are recyclable and waste treatment responsibility is applied to products and packages containing toxic substances, which are hardly recyclable or impede the collection and treatment.

For the waste treatment responsibility, producers or importers are obliged to make financial contributions to the Vietnam Environment Protection Fund since 2022 to support waste collection and treatment.

As per the provisions, the enterprises in the categories have to submit their declarations before March 31 2022 and make a financial payment to the Vietnam Environment Protection Fund prior to April 20, 2022.

Phan Tuan Hung, head of the Department of Legal Affairs under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, said despite the above regulation, some large enterprises with popular brand names had yet to fulfill their payment obligations.

The fine of VND2 billion will be applied to those failing to make payments and those making late payments to support waste treatment. In addition, the violated enterprises will have their names publicized on the national EPR portal.

The Law on Environment Protection 2020 also stipulates in detail those who are not subject to EPR. The receipt and use of financial contributions to the Vietnam Environment Protection shall be announced publicly prior to March 31 of the subsequent year with the participation of producers and importers.

Until now, Vietnam is the first country in the ASEAN to apply EPR to enterprises.

Source: Saigon Times