Everything About Single-Use Plastic Ban In India During 2022

Last updated on June 30th, 2022 at 03:56 pm

India is going to ban all single-use plastic products after 1st July. It’s a result of an international agreement among 68 countries to end plastic pollution.

After the 1st July, 2022 you may not use the straws in your drinks, plastic spoons & plates. There might be no water bottles, no earbuds for your ears, no certain PVC banners and so on.

Because last year, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change issued a gazette notification announcing the ban on “single-use plastic’ starting July 1, 2022.

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An official ministry statement –

“Pollution due to single use plastic items has become an important environmental challenge confronting all countries. 

India is committed to take action for mitigation of pollution caused by littered Single Use Plastics.”

What Is Single-Use Plastic?

Plastic items that are used once and discarded includes bottles (shampoo, detergents, cosmetics), polythene bags, face masks, coffee cups, cling film, trash bags, food packaging, etc.

Shocking Fact: 33% Are Use And Throw Of All Plastics

A 2021 report by an Australian philanthropic organization, the Minderoo Foundation, states that single-use plastics account for 13 of all plastic produced globally, with 98% manufactured from fossil fuels.

130 million metric tonnes of single-use plastic were discarded globally in 2019.

India Must Have Take Actions

The report further stated that India is 94th on the list of 100 single-use plastic generating countries. India’s net generation of single-use plastic waste is 5.6 MMT, and per capita generation is 4 kg.

Which Single-Use Plastic Items Are Going To Be Banned?

These following single-use plastic products are going to be banned in India after 1st July, 2022.

• Earbuds
• Invitation cards
• Cigarette packs
• Polystyrene for decoration
• Balloon, Candy & Ice-cream sticks
• PVC banners measuring under 100 microns
• Cutlery items like plates, cups, glasses, forks, spoons, knives, trays  & sweet boxes.

Why The Ban On Single-Use Plastic Items?

Plastic left in the environment for long turns into microplastics – entering our food sources and then the human body, which is highly harmful.

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Reportedly, the choice for the first set of single-use plastic items for the ban was based on “difficulty of collection, and therefore recycling”.

“The enemy is not that plastic exists per se, but that plastic exists in the environment.”

Monitoring of Single-Use Plastic Ban

The ban will be monitored by the CPCB from the Center, and by the State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs).

Violators can be penalized under the Environment Protection Act 1986 – which allows for imprisonment up to 5 years, or a penalty up to 1 lakh, or both.

Potential Loss of ₹3,000 Crore

The ban could lead to several challenges like supply constraints and making arrangements for alternative items, such as imported paper straws, as well as an increase in costs.

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“The transition could lead to losses of 3,000 crore in sales for the industry.” – Action Alliance for Recycling Beverage Cartons (AARC)

International Agreement To End Plastic Pollution

Earlier this year, 124 countries at the United Nations Environment Assembly, including India, signed a resolution to draw up an agreement. 

The agreement will in the future make it legally binding for the signatories to address and take efforts to end plastic pollution.

As of July 2019, 68 countries have plastic bag bans with varying degrees of enforcement.