Hello dear aspirants,
Government has recently taken a big step towards the conservation of the environment by banning single-use plastic at a huge scale. The reason, as stated by the Ministry of Environment, is the huge cost of collection of plastic waste as well as its high environmental cost.
Single-use plastic (SUP) is one of the most prevalent causes of pollution. SUPs include plastic bags, polythene, straws, plastic bottles, food packaging items, etc. They are used only for once and thrown away as garbage for recycling. The main problem with them is that they are non-biodegradable in nature. They are usually dumped into landfills or into the water bodies that eventually fall into oceans through various means.
When plastic enters soil or water bodies it breaks down into small particles but they don’t decompose. Aquatic animals mistakenly consume these particles resulting in serious health problems causing death. Plastic particles remain undecomposed for hundreds of years and release toxic chemicals damaging our environment. This is why they are a major cause of the water pollution too.
The production of single use plastic bags and other plastic items releases toxic chemicals that can cause serious disease among human beings who produce it. Therefore, a ban on single use plastic is very important. Governments in many countries including India have started taking steps to discontinue the use of single use plastic and encourage the use of its alternatives.
History of Single-Use Plastic Ban in India:
The Indian government introduced its first plastic-waste management law in September 1999. Its aim was to restrict the use of plastic carry bags of thickness equal to or less than 20 microns and prevent plastic packaging of food.
The government amended these rules in 2003 and diluted the restrictions but it mandated that no person can manufacture plastic carry bags or containers unless the manufacturing unit is registered with regional pollution control authorities.
With the expansion of trade and economy, the use of plastic too increased manifold. Keeping this in mind, a Plastic Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2011 was introduced. A national law proposing a ban on the use of plastic in sachets used for packing and selling gutkha, tobacco and pan masala, was brought for the first time in the country.
The movement gained more strength with the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. New rules for plastic management were laid down. In March 2016, the Ministry of Environment announced the Plastic Waste Management (PWM) Rules. It was a comprehensive legislation. Following are its provisions:
- It aimed at Increasing the minimum thickness of plastic carry bags from 40 to 50 microns.
- It ordered the expansion of the plastic waste management jurisdiction from the municipal area to rural areas.
- It brought the producers and generators together in a plastic waste management system and mandated the introduction of a collect back system of plastic waste by the producers.
- It introduced a collection of plastic waste management fees from the producers, importers and vendors selling the plastic.
- It promoted use of plastic waste for road construction as per Indian Road Congress guidelines, gainful utilization of waste and entrust more responsibility on waste generators through payment of user charge, collection and handing over of waste by the institutional generator, event organizers, etc.
In 2017, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), approached the National Green Tribunal in the CPCB v. Andaman & Nicobar and Others case to seek its intervention on the poor implementation of the PWM Rules, 2016. It was found that in many states these rules were not enforced and burning of plastic waste, littering of plastic waste on railway tracks, bus stations, etc still continued.
It was realized that plastic bans don’t work due to poor enforcement of rules and regulation and bans should be accompanied by essential regulatory seriousness. It is the responsibility of agencies like the CPCB and state pollution control boards to enforce it.
Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2018.
Keeping the drawbacks of PWM, 2016 in mind, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change introduced a new set of rules in 2018. They were:
- Discontinuation of the use of Multilayered Plastic (MLP) which are “non-recyclable, or non-energy recoverable, or with no alternate use.”
- Proposal to create a central registration system for the registration of the producer/importer/brand owner.
- The centralised registration system was said to be evolved by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
- National registration was prescribed for producers with presence in more than two states and a state-level registration was prescribed for smaller producers/brand owners operating within one or two states.
Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021.
The central government banned single-use plastic which have “low utility and high littering potential” from July 2022 by amending the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016.
The Environment Ministry released a notification announcing prohibition on manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of single-use plastic. Following are its provisions:
- It is going to be implemented in a phased manner.
- Polythene bags under 75 microns will not be allowed from September 30, 2021 i.e., this year and polythene bags under 120 microns will be banned from December 31, 2022 i.e., next year.
- Items that will be banned from next year are:
Earbuds with plastic sticks, plastic sticks for balloons, plastic flags, candy sticks, ice-cream sticks, polystyrene (thermocol) for decoration, plastic plates, cups, glasses, cutlery such as forks, spoons and knives, straw, trays, wrapping films around sweet boxes, invitation cards, and cigarette packets, plastic or PVC banners less than 100-microns and stirrers.
- Government has said to ensure that companies producing biodegradable alternatives to plastic will be promoted.
- The government has given ten years time to industries producing plastic commodities other than those that have been listed in the notification considering the capital cost in changing from plastic to an alternative material.
- Implementing body: The Central Pollution Control Board, along with state pollution bodies, will monitor the ban, identify violations, and impose penalties already prescribed under the Environmental Protection Act.
- The ban will not apply to commodities made of compostable plastic. Compostable plastics are plastics derived from renewable materials like corn, potato, and tapioca starches, cellulose, soy protein, and lactic acid.
Reason behind the ban:
The main problem as identified by the officials was that many plastic commodities were not being collected and recycled.
In addition to this, environmental experts found that thicker plastic bags have higher value than thinner ones as they are more easily handled as waste and have higher recyclability.
Other initiatives to minimize Plastic Waste in India:
- Swachh Bharat Mission
- India Plastics Pact
- Project REPLAN
- Un-Plastic Collective
- GoLitter Partnerships Project
We hope this article was helpful to you.
Thank You!
