Single-use plastic ban comes into effect

Ban on manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of identified single use plastic items has come into force from Friday, July1 across the country. Single-use plastic are those items that are used only once and discarded. The items covered under the ban include ear buds with plastic sticks, plastic sticks for balloons, plastic flags, candy sticks, ice- cream sticks, polystyrene (Thermocol) for decoration, plastic plates, plastic cups, plastic glasses and plastic cutlery. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change said that national and State level control rooms will be set up for checking illegal manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of banned single for the effective enforcement of ban.

The single-use plastic manufacturing industry employs nearly 200,000 people directly and around 450,000 indirectly. Several FMCG firms and restaurants rushed to meet the single-use plastic ban as the companies and eateries were scrambling to replace plastic items.  The ministry notified the Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021, in August last year. The rules mandate a ban from July 1 on manufacturing, import, stocking, distribution, sale, and use of single-use plastic items -- an industry that is worth Rs 10,000 crore.  The ministry will will initiate an enforcement campaign and close down units engaging in the production, distribution, stocking, and sale of such items.