A bold and degradable initiative has been taken up by the Government, which notified amended rules prohibiting the manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale, and use of identified single-use plastic items, including plates, cups, cutlery, and packing films around boxes for sweets and cigarette packets among others. There will be the use of plastic carry bags as they can be used more than once, but 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.
“The manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale, and use of following single-use plastic, including polystyrene and expanded polystyrene, commodities shall be prohibited with effect from July 1, 2022: earbuds with plastic sticks, plastic sticks for balloons, plastic flags, candy sticks, ice-cream sticks, polystyrene (thermocol) for decoration; plates, cups, glasses, cutlery such as forks, spoons, knives, straw, trays; wrapping or packaging films around sweet boxes, invitation cards, and cigarette packets, plastic or PVC banners less than 100 micron, stirrers,” the notification read.
In a statement, the Environment Ministry said plastic packaging waste not covered under the phase-out of identified single-use plastic items should be collected and managed in an environmentally sustainable way through the Extended Producer Responsibility of the producer, importer, and brand owner (PIBO) as per Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016.
For effective implementation of the Extended Producer Responsibility, the guidelines being brought out have been given a legal force through the amended rules, it said. This has to be taken seriously by the people as it can bring a huge positive change to our mother earth. So we have to join our hands to reduce the use of plastics.
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