Centre Notifies Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules To Prohibit Single-Use Items By 2022 | Know Details

According to the government, manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale, and use of single-use plastic commodities will be prohibited from July 1, 2022. Know what all is included in the list.

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New Delhi: The Union Government on Friday notified 'Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021' with the aim to prohibit identified single-use plastic items by next year, considering their adverse effects on the environment.

This comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2019 gave the clarion call to phase out single-use plastic by 2022 in view of the ill-effects of littered plastic on both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

"Pollution due to single-use plastic items has become an important environmental challenge confronting all countries. India is committed to taking action for mitigation of pollution caused by littered Single-Use Plastics", the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change informed in a statement.

The ministry highlighted how India had piloted a resolution on addressing single-use plastic products pollution in the 4th United Nations Environment Assembly held in 2019, takin cognisance of the urgent need for the global community to focus on this very important issue.

Prohibited Single-Use Plastic Items

According to the government, the manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale, and use of the following single-use plastic, including polystyrene and expanded polystyrene, commodities will be prohibited from July 1, 2022:

• Earbuds with plastic sticks, plastic sticks for balloons, plastic flags, candy sticks, ice-cream sticks, polystyrene [Thermocol] for decoration.
• 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, stirrers.

"In order to stop littering due to lightweight plastic carry bags, with effect from 30th September, 2021, the thickness of plastic carry bags has been increased from fifty microns to seventy five microns and to one hundred and twenty microns with effect from the 31st December, 2022. This will also allow the reuse of plastic carry due to increase in thickness," the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change informed.

Direction To States & UTs

The Ministry further stated that the waste management infrastructure in the States/UTs is being strengthened through the 'Swachh Bharat Mission' and the following steps have been taken to strengthen the implementation of Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016:

• States/UTs have been requested to constitute a Special Task Force for the elimination of single-use plastics and effective implementation of Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016.
• A National Level Taskforce has also been constituted by the Ministry for efforts to eliminate identified single-use plastic items and effective implementation of Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016.

The Union government has also requested State/UT governments and concerned Ministries/Departments to develop a comprehensive action plan for the elimination of single-use plastics.

Additionally, a two-month-long Awareness Campaign of Single-Use Plastic 2021 has been organised along with a pan India essay writing competition on the theme of spreading awareness amongst school students in the country.

"To encourage innovation in development of alternatives to identified single-use plastic items and digital solutions to plastic waste management, the India Plastic Challenge – Hackathon 2021, has been organized for students of Higher Educational Institutions and startups recognized under Startup India Initiative," the ministry informed.