Government notifies amended rules for single-use plastic | Fusion - WeRIndia

Plastic, especially, single-use plastic harms the environment and the users. Though the government wants to put a complete ban on single-use plastic items, it is not possible as it can affect small businesses and traders. Moreover, plastic is majorly associated with human lives.

In this context, the government wants to ban these items in a phased manner and notified amended rules. The environment ministry issued these new rules on August 12, 2021.

Complete details about new rules for single-use plastic are as follows:

At present, polythene bags of less than 50 microns in thickness are banned in India. As per the amended rules, plastic carry bags of less than 75 microns will be banned from September 30, 2021, and bags of less than 120 microns will be banned from December 31, 2022.

The government banned the manufacture, sale, distribution, import, stocking, and use of many single-use plastic items, including polystyrene and expanded polystyrene. This ban will come into effect from July 1, 2022.

Banned items include earbuds with plastic sticks, plastic flags, candy and ice-cream sticks, plastic sticks for balloons, plates, cups, and glasses, cutlery items like spoons, knives, forks, straw, trays, invitation cards, cigarette packets, stirrers, plastic or PVC banners less than 100 microns. Besides, wrapping or packing films around sweet boxes will also be not allowed from next July.

Single-use plastic items are defined as items intended to be used only once for the same purpose before being recycled.

Currently, nearly half of the plastic waste remains uncollected. It poses one of the biggest environmental threats as it contaminates water bodies and chokes drainage systems. The new rules will improve plastic collection significantly.

The notification directs panchayats and urban local bodies to set up a waste management system and implement these rules effectively.

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