Several single use plastic products to be prohibited from July 1, 2022

The Union environment ministry has notified the Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021, prohibiting the manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale, and use of certain single-use plastic items with low utility and high littering potential by 2022.

At the 4th United Nations Environment Assembly held in 2019, India moved a resolution on addressing single-use plastic products pollution by 2022. Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on people to stop the use of single-use plastic bags in his Independence Day speech in 2019

The manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale, and use of some single-use plastic products including polystyrene and expanded polystyrene shall be prohibited from July 1, 2022. These include earbuds with plastic sticks, plastic sticks for balloons, plastic flags, candy sticks, ice-cream sticks, polystyrene for decoration, plates, cups, glasses, cutlery such as forks, spoons, knives, straw, trays, wrapping or packing films used for sweet boxes, invitation cards, and cigarette packets, plastic or PVC banners less than 100 micron and stirrers.

From September 30, 2021, the thickness of plastic carry bags will be increased from 50 microns to 75 microns and 120 microns. This will also allow the reuse of plastic carry bags due to an increase in thickness, an environment ministry statement said.

The plastic packaging waste, which is not covered under the phase-out of identified single-use plastic items, shall be collected and managed in an environmentally sustainable way by producers, importers, and brand owners as per the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016. For effective implementation of Extended Producer Responsibility, the guidelines for it are being brought out and have been given legal force through Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021, the ministry said in the statement.