PARLIAMENT QUESTION: Circular Economy Framework and Extended Producer Responsibility

• Circular Economy (CE) = production-consumption model that designs out waste via reuse, repair, recycling; in India operationalised primarily through Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) under category-specific Waste Management Rules notified by MoEFCC under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
• The 23 March 2026 Lok Sabha reply (MoEFCC) consolidates 9 waste-stream rules (plastic, battery, e-waste, tyres, used oil, ELV, C&D, non-ferrous scrap, solid waste) as the operative CE framework.
• High-yield for GS-III (Environment), Prelims (acts/rules/dates) and policy ethics.