Ban on single-use plastic items kicks in from today. 10 points

The Union Environment ministry officials have said that the ban on certain single-use plastic items will kick in from Friday and state governments will initiate an enforcement campaign and close down units engaging in production, distribution, stocking and sale of such items. Earlier on June 28, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change had notified that govt will ban identified single use plastic items across the country from 1 July. 

Interestingly, the Central Pollution Control Board of India (CPCB) had shared that India generates around 2.4 lakh tonnes of SUP per annum and the per capita SUP production is 0.18 kg per year. The Environment Ministry, on August 12 last year, had issued a notification prohibiting manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of identified SUP commodities, including polystyrene and expanded polystyrene from July 1, 2022.

Here are the top 10 updates on the ban on single-use plastic items:

• The Union Environment ministry officials have said that those in violation of the ban will receive punitive action against them, including a fine or a jail term or both which is detailed under Section 15 of the Environment Protection Act (EPA) and under bylaws of respective municipal corporations, the officials noted.
• Additionally, in order to ensure effective enforcement of the ban, officials in the ministry shared that national and state-level control rooms have been set up and special enforcement teams formed to check illegal manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of banned SUP items. While states and Union Territories have been instructed to set up border checkpoints to stop the interstate movement of any banned SUP items.
• In an attempt to allow the ban to be efficiently enforced, the Central Pollution Control Board has also launched a grievance redressal application to empower citizens to help curb plastic usage. Officials said plastic used for packaging in the FMCG sector is not banned but will be covered under the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) guidelines. The EPR has been considered to be the responsibility of the producers to ensure environmentally-sound management of the product until the end of its life.
• FMCG and agro food companies selling packaged fruit juices and dairy products have shifted to paper straws despite higher costs as the ban on plastic straws comes into effect from Friday. While most companies have now put integrated paper straws with their small tetra packs following the government declining their pleas to extend the ban on plastic straws for six months.
• The identified SUP items include earbuds, plastic sticks for balloons, flags, candy sticks, ice-cream sticks, polystyrene (thermocol), plates, cups, glasses, forks, spoons, knives, straws, trays, wrapping or packaging films around sweets boxes, invitation cards, cigarette packets, plastic or PVC banners of less than 100 microns, and stirrers.
• Meanwhile in Delhi, the Revenue Department and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee have constituted 33 and 15 teams, in order to ensure enforcement of the ban. It is worth nothing that 1,060 tonnes of plastic waste per day is generated in Delhi and single-use plastic is estimated to be 5.6% or 56 kg per metric tonnes of the total solid waste in the country's capital.
• Officials of the Delhi environment department said units engaging in manufacture, import, stocking, distribution sale and use of the identified SUP commodities and other prohibited activities under the Plastic Waste Management Rules will be immediately closed down. 
• It is important to note that Punitive action will also be taken against common people found violating the ban, a senior official said. The DPCC will ensure compliance with the ban in confirming areas and MCD and other local bodies will be responsible for its implementation in the informal sector, the official said.  
• The Municipal Corporation of Delhi and other urban local bodies will act against the defaulting units according to their bylaws while the Revenue department will take action under the Environment Protection Act. Officials said the Environment department here will monitor the implementation of the ban through the "Green War Room" which was setup in October 2020 to keep a tab on air pollution levels and address related complaints. 
• The Green Delhi Application has also been updated to file complaints regarding violation of the ban on SUP items. The Delhi government has also decided to conduct a study to find out potential barriers to the elimination of SUP items. The DPCC has also asked the Sriram Institute of Industrial Research to conduct a survey to identify littering hotspots and quantify plastic waste generation in the city. 

(With inputs from agencies)