The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change vide its notification dated 12th August 2021 has published the Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2021 which has proposed to ban the manufacture, use, sale, import, and handling of some single-use plastic items on a ‘pan India basis.
The amendment is brought under rule 4 which deals with the conditions for manufacturing, importing, stocking, distribution, sale, and use of carry bags.
- Carry bag made of virgin or recycled plastic, shall not be less than “seventy five microns in thickness with effect from the 30th September, 2021and one hundred and twenty (120) microns in thickness with effect from the 31st December, 2022”
- non-woven plastic carry bag shall not be less than 60 Gram Per Square Meter (GSM) with effect from the 30th September, 2021.”
Further, as per rule 4(2), the manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of following singleuse plastic, including polystyrene and expanded polystyrene, commodities shall be prohibited with effect from the 1st July, 2022:-
(a) ear buds with plastic sticks, plastic sticks for balloons, plastic flags, candy sticks, ice-cream sticks, polystyrene [Thermocol] for decoration;
(b) plates, cups, glasses, cutlery such as forks, spoons, knives, straw, trays, wrapping or packing films around sweet boxes, invitation cards, and cigarette packets, plastic or PVC banners less than 100 micron, stirrer.
However, the above provision shall not apply to commodities made of compostable plastic.
