Identified single-use plastic items banned from July next year

Keeping in view the adverse impacts of littered plastic on both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, the Centre has notified the Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021, which prohibits identified single-use plastic items which have low utility and high littering potential by July 1, 2022.

At the fourth United Nations Environment Assembly in 2019, India had taken the lead in passing a resolution to check single-use plastic pollution, recognizing the urgent need for the global community to focus on this very important issue.

Also read: Your takeaway food, bottles form half of ocean plastic waste: Study

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has banned the manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of following single-use plastic material:

1. Ear buds with plastic sticks, plastic sticks for balloons, plastic flags, candy sticks, ice-cream sticks, polystyrene [thermocol] for decoration;

2. Plates, cups, glasses, cutlery such as forks, spoons, knives, straw, trays, wrapping or packing films around sweet boxes, invitation cards and cigarette packets, plastic or PVC banners less than 100 micron thick.

3. In order to stop littering due to light weight plastic carry bags, with effect from September30, 2021, the thickness of plastic carry bags has been increased from 50 microns to 75 microns and to 120 microns with effect from December 31, 2022. This will also allow reuse of plastic carry due to increase in thickness.

4. The plastic packaging waste, which is not covered in any of the above categories, shall be collected and managed in an environmentally sustainable way.