Things to know about the ban on single-use plastic | Fusion - WeRIndia

The government of India announced a blanket ban on single-use plastic items. The ban will be in force from July 1.

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change released a list of banned items from July 1.

These include earbuds, plastic straws, balloon sticks, cigarette packs, sweet boxes, candy sticks, plastic flags, ice-cream sticks, stirrers, invitation cards, and PVC banners measuring under 100 microns.

From July 1, the manufacture, import, sale and use of all single-use plastic items, including commodities of polystyrene and expanded polystyrene, will be banned.

In this context, many beverage companies like Frooti, Tropicana, Real etc., urged the government to extend the deadline to implement the ban on plastic straws by six months.

They said that they would endorse the decision of the government. However, they need some time to switch to alternatives. That’s why they requested the government to postpone the implementation of the ban on single-use items by six months.

They worried that the blanket ban would disrupt their supply chain. They have to incur more costs for importing paper straws to replace plastic straws. The increasing cost will lead to a rise in the price, which means a burden on end-users. Many of these products are priced at a low price, as they are intended for a certain group of consumers.

Amul, one of the leading brands in the market, says that they attach plastic straws to the tetra pack of the buttermilk. These are part of primary packaging. They need at least 12 lakhs of plastic straws daily. It is difficult for the company to manufacture such a large quantity as it doesn’t have the capacity.

Even if it wants to buy in the domestic market, they are not available in the market. So, the company needs some time to seek an alternative to plastic straws or establish a manufacturing unit to make paper straws.

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Image Reference: https://pixabay.com/photos/drinking-straws-plastic-straws-drink-3193715/