Lok Sabha Question No. 4064 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-01-04
Subject: Ban on Plastics
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: KONDA VISHWESHWAR REDDY, FEROZE VARUN GANDHI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION No.4064

TO BE ANSWERED ON 04.01.2019

## Ban on Plastics

## 4064.  SHRI KONDA VISHWESHWAR REDDY: SHRI FEROZE VARUN GANDHI:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is determined to ban plastic use in India by 2022, and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the Government is planning to adopt a uniform policy applicable to all States and UTs and if so,the details thereof;
- (c) whether  the  Government  is  aware  that  microbeads  often  used  in  cosmetic  and detergent products are made of plastic and are not bio-degradable/soluble in the water and many countries have banned it and Bureau of Indian Standards has called them toxic for the environment;
- (d) if  so,  whether the Government is planning to ban use of plastic microbeads in such products, following the example of UK, US and other countries; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (DR. MAHESH SHARMA)

- (a) India was the global host of The World Environment Day 2018 (WED) and the theme for WED was 'Beat Plastic Pollution'. A State Environment Ministers Conference was also organized on 4 th June, 2018 and it also adopted a resolution to make efforts to reduce the use of single use plastic in India.

Further, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has written letters to the offices under its own administrative control, regional offices of the Ministry, offices of Central Government and its departments, major PSUs, corporates, institutes etc to prohibit single-use plastic products including water bottles, take away coffee cups, lunch wrapped in disposable plastic packaging, plastic bags, disposable food containers, plates and containers made of polystyrene foam, plastic straws etc in their offices. The effort is to phase out single use plastic by 2022 by creating awareness among all stakeholders.

- (b) The  Government  in  suppression  of  the  earlier  Plastic  Waste  (Management  and Handling) Rules, 2011 has notified the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016. The Rules are uniformly applicable to all the States.However, some State Governments under their own statutory  powers  have  imposed  more  stringent  norms.  Accordingly,  22  States/UTs  have

imposed ban on use, stock & sale of plastic carrybags, cups, glasses, plates, spoons, straws, thermocol products.

(c) to (e) Schedule S to the Drugs & Cosmetics Rules, 1945 stipulates that cosmetics in finished form shall conform to the specifications laid down by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) from time to time. The Indian Standard, IS 4707 (Part 2) published by BIS does not restrict use of microbeads in formulation of cosmetic products. The Hon'ble NGT in OA No. 112/2016 has directed the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization to test and analyse the products containing microbeads in its laboratories and submit its report.

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