Banning single-use plastic
Source- Indiaexpress
Introduction-
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and climate issued a gazette notification announcing the ban and defined a list of items that will be banned from next month.
The manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of single-use plastic, including polystyrene shall be prohibited from 1st July 2022.
Single-use plastic-
• It refers to plastic items that are used once and discarded.
• It shares the highest plastic manufacturing and is used in the packaging of items, bottles, polythene bags, face masks, trash bags, cling film, coffee cups etc.
• Single-use plastic accounts for 1/3rd of all plastic produced globally, with 98% manufactured from fossil fuels.
• It also accounts for the majority of plastic discarded-130 million metric tonnes globally in 2019.
• Single-use plastic can account for 5-10% of greenhouse gas emissions.
• A report found that India ranks 94, in the use of single-use plastic, the top three are Singapore, Australia, and Oman.
• With domestic production of 11.8 million metric tonnes annually, import of 2.9 MMT, India’s net generation is 5.6 mm, and per capita generation is 4kg.
Banned Items-
• The ministry banned polythene bags under 75 microns from September 2021.
• From December, the ban will be extended to polythene bags under 120 microns.
• According to the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, there is a complete ban on sachets using plastic material for storing, and selling tobacco and its products.
• The items on which the Central Pollution Control Board(CPCB) announced the ban are :
Balloon sticks, candy and ice cream sticks, cutlery items including plates, cups, forks, glasses, spoons, knives, trays, sweet boxes, invitation cards, cigarette packs, PVC banners measuring under 100 microns, and polystyrene for decoration.
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and climate issued a gazette notification announcing the ban and defined a list of items that will be banned from next month.
The manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of single-use plastic, including polystyrene shall be prohibited from 1st July 2022.
Single-use plastic-
• It refers to plastic items that are used once and discarded.
• It shares the highest plastic manufacturing and is used in the packaging of items, bottles, polythene bags, face masks, trash bags, cling film, coffee cups etc.
• Single-use plastic accounts for 1/3rd of all plastic produced globally, with 98% manufactured from fossil fuels.
• It also accounts for the majority of plastic discarded-130 million metric tonnes globally in 2019.
• Single-use plastic can account for 5-10% of greenhouse gas emissions.
• A report found that India ranks 94, in the use of single-use plastic, the top three are Singapore, Australia, and Oman.
• With domestic production of 11.8 million metric tonnes annually, import of 2.9 MMT, India’s net generation is 5.6 mm, and per capita generation is 4kg.
Banned Items-
• The ministry banned polythene bags under 75 microns from September 2021.
• From December, the ban will be extended to polythene bags under 120 microns.
• According to the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, there is a complete ban on sachets using plastic material for storing, and selling tobacco and its products.
• The items on which the Central Pollution Control Board(CPCB) announced the ban are :
Balloon sticks, candy and ice cream sticks, cutlery items including plates, cups, forks, glasses, spoons, knives, trays, sweet boxes, invitation cards, cigarette packs, PVC banners measuring under 100 microns, and polystyrene for decoration.
Reasons-
• The main reason for the ban on single-use plastic items was based, on the difficulty of collection and recycling.
• Plastic exists in the environment for long periods of time and does not decay, it turns into microplastics, entering our food sources, and then our body which is extremely harmful.
• These items are chosen because they are small, and discarded directly into the environment.
• It then becomes difficult to collect for recycling.
• The largest share of single-use plastics is that of packaging with as much as 95% of single-use belonging to this category from toothpaste to shaving cream to frozen foods.
• These items chosen are of low value and low turnover & are unlikely to have a big economic impact.
Enforcement-
• The ban will be monitored by the CPCB from the centre and by the state pollution control boards(SPCB).
• Directions were issued to SPCBs and pollution control committees to modify consent to operate issued under the Air/Water Act to industries engaged in single-use plastic items.
• Local authorities were directed to issue fresh licenses on the condition that SUP items will not be used or sold on their premises.
• CPCB issued one-time certificates to 200 manufacturers of compostable plastic and BIS passed standards for biodegradable plastic.
• Those found to be violating the ban are penalized under Environment Protection Act 1986- which allows for imprisonment up to 5 years or a penalty of 1lakh rupees or both.
• Violators can also be asked to pay Environmental Damage Compensation by SPCB.
Dealing with SUP-
• 124 countries, parties to the United Nations Environment Assembly, including India signed a resolution to end plastic pollution.
• Bangladesh became the first country to ban thin plastic bags in 2002.
• New Zealand became the latest country to ban plastic bags in 2019.
• China issued a ban in 2020 with a phased implementation.
• As of July 2019, 68 countries have plastic bag bans with varying degrees of enforcement.
