Come July next year, the manufacture of a range of plastic products will be banned. These include ear buds with plastic sticks, plastic sticks for balloons, plastic flags, candy sticks, ice-cream sticks, thermocol for decoration, plates, cups, glasses, cutlery such as forks, spoons, knives, straws, trays, wrapping or packing films around sweet boxes, invitation cards, and cigarette packets, plastic or PVC banners less than 100 microns, and stirrers.
The Environment Ministry on Friday notified the Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021, which prohibits specific single-use plastic items which have “low utility and high littering potential” by 2022.
Plastic packaging waste isn't yet covered under the phase-out of single-use plastic items. The Environment Ministry told the Rajya Sabha in July of its proposal to phase out some categories of single use plastic by 2022.
A draft outlining the way forward was issued in March and involved amending the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016. Currently the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, prohibits manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of carry bags and plastic sheets less than 50 microns in thickness in the country. There is a ban on sachets using plastic material used for storing, packing or selling gutkha, tobacco and pan masala.
At the 4th United Nations Environment Assembly in 2019, India piloted a resolution on addressing single-use plastic products pollution.
The Environment Ministry said in a note on Friday that the waste management infrastructure in the States and UTs was being strengthened through the Swachh Bharat Mission. They had been “requested” to constitute a Special Task Force for elimination of single use plastics and effective implementation of Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016. A National Level Taskforce had also been constituted by the Ministry for taking coordinated efforts to eliminate identified single use plastic items and effective implementation of Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016.
