In India, single-use plastic items such as plates, cups, straws, trays, and polystyrene will be banned as of July 1, 2022
India is now taking a stand against plastics and plastic pollution by banning the sale and use of single-use plastics (SUP). Sups are plastic items that are intended to be used once for the same purpose before being thrown away or recycled.
RELEVANT SUSTAINABLE GOALS
Single-Use Plastic Ban in India
Starting July 1, the Central Pollution Control Board of India is requiring all states to ban single-use plastics. The government had notified producers, shopkeepers, street vendors and the general public about the ban on these items earlier this year.
The government has notified Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021, prohibiting identified single-use plastic items by 2022. The thickness of plastic carry bags will be increased from 50 microns to 75 microns from September 30, 2021, and to 120 microns from December 31, 2022, according to the notification dated August 12. This will also allow the plastic carry bags to be reused, it stated. Non-woven plastic carry bags should not be less than 60 gram per square metre (GSM) with effect from September 30, 2021, the notification said.
Items Banned
The prohibition of the manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of the following items, including polystyrene and expanded polystyrene, will come into force from 1 July, 2022.
Here are the items that will be banned:
– Plastic sticks used in balloons Flags, candy, ice-cream and earbuds
– Thermocol used in decoration
– Items such as plates, cups, glasses and cutlery
– Wrapping and packing films used in sweet boxes, invitation cards, cigarette packets, stirrers
– Plastic banners less than 100 microns in thickness
– Thermocol used in decoration
– Items such as plates, cups, glasses and cutlery
– Wrapping and packing films used in sweet boxes, invitation cards, cigarette packets, stirrers
– Plastic banners less than 100 microns in thickness
It also includes plates, cups, glasses, cutlery such as forks, spoons, knives, straw, trays, stirrers, wrapping or packing films around sweet boxes, invitation cards, cigarette packets, plastic or PVC banners of less than 100 microns.
Additionally, no plastic carry bags less than 120 micron thick can be used from December 31.
Around 43% of plastic is used for packaging and most are single-use, according to a fact sheet released by the environment ministry and the Energy and Resources Institute (TERFI), a think tank. Per capita plastic use in India is about 9.7kg, mostly packaging material, the central pollution body estimates.
