Lok Sabha Question No. 275 (STARRED), answered on 2019-12-06
Subject: Alternatives to Plastic
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Sanjay(Kaka) Ramchandra Patil

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION No. *275

TO BE ANSWERED ON 06.12.2019

## Alternatives to Plastic

## *275. SHRI SANJAY KAKA PATIL:

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

- (a) whether the Government has taken any steps to ban/curb/minimize the use of plastic;
- (b) if so, the details thereof along with the available alternatives to plastic for packaging of various products; and
- (c) the details of the schemes formulated by the Government to minimize the use of plastic and promote alternatives to it along with the funds allocated for the purpose, scheme-wise?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI PRAKASH JAVADEKAR)

- (a) to (c): A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

***

## Statement referred to in reply to parts (a) to (c) of Lok Sabha Starred Question No. 275 to be answered on Friday, the 6 th December, 2019 on 'Alternatives to Plastic' by Shri Sanjay Kaka Patil

(a)   to (c) The  Government  has  notified  Plastic  Waste  Management  Rules,  2016.  The Rules prohibits the use of carry bag made of virgin or recycled plastic less than fifty microns in thickness. Sachets made of plastic material for storing, packing or selling gutkha, tobacco and  pan  masala  is  also  prohibited.  As  per  the  Rules,  the  generators  of  waste  have  been mandated to take steps to minimize generation of plastic waste, not to litter the plastic waste, ensure segregated storage of waste at source and handover segregated waste to local bodies or agencies authorized by the local bodies. The rules also mandate the responsibilities of local bodies,  gram  panchayats,  waste  generators,  retailers  and  street  vendors  to  manage  plastic waste. The rules mandate the producers, importers and brand owners to work out modalities for waste collection system based on the principle of Extended Producer Responsibility.

Central  Pollution  Control  Board  as  developed  guidelines  for  (i)  Management  of  Sanitary Waste (ii) Disposal of non-recyclable fraction (Multi-layered) plastic waste (iii) Collection, Segregation  and  Disposal  of  Plastic  Waste  (iv)  Co-processing  of  plastic  waste  in  Cement Kilns (v) Disposal of Thermoset Plastic Waste including Sheet Moulding Compound (SMC) and Fibre Reinforced plastic

Further,  Hon'ble  Prime  Minister  has  announced  India's  pledge  to  phase  out  all  Single-use plastic  by  2022.  In  this  perspective,  to  create  mass  awareness  among  the  common  public, plastic industry, recycling units and other stakeholders, a three-phase campaign of 'Swachhta Hi Sewa' was launched by Hon'ble Prime Minister from 11th Sep, 2019, which ended on Diwali  i.e.  27th  October  2019.  This  campaign  inter-alia  focused  on  awareness,  advocacy, collection and safe disposal of littered plastic.

There is no specific scheme formulated by the Government, however, in view to minimize the  usage  of  plastics,  the  Ministry  has  issued  'Standard  Guidelines  on  Single Use  Plastic' with  suggested  different  set  of  actions  for  State/UT  Government  to  minimize  the  usage  of single use plastics. The guidelines are focused to target those kind of Single Use Plastic for which  alternatives  are  readily  available.  Such  as  jute  bags,  cloth  bags,  paper  bags  are available as an alternative to plastic carry bags. Similarly, sufficient alternatives available for the  plastic  cutlery  like  paper  plates  and  leaf  plates,  paper/earthen  cups  and  glass,  wooden spoons, paper straws, multi-layered (aluminum + paper) pouches in place of container and container lids, wooden trays, stirrers made of wood. Apart from the traditional material, the new material like bagasse based products, banana stem based products are widely available in market.

Further, the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016 defines the norms for compostable plastic as an ecologically sustainable and green alternatives of plastics. The provision of thickness is not  applicable  to  carry  bags  made  up  of  compostable  plastic.  However,  the  compostable plastics  has  to  conform  to  the  Indian  Standard:  IS  17088:2008  titled  as  Specifications  for Compostable Plastics. Certificate has been granted to 53 compostable plastic bags manufacturers/sellers till now.

*****