Lok Sabha Question No. 3112 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-08-06
Subject: Ban on Plastic
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Gopal Chinayya Shetty

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

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 3112 TO BE ANSWERED ON 06.08.2021

## Ban on Plastic

## 3112.   SHRI GOPAL CHINNAYA SHETTY:

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

- (a) whether the Government proposes to impose a complete ban on plastic across the country in view of the pollution caused by plastic;
- (b) if so, the details thereof; and
- (c) if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

(a)  to  (c):The  Plastic  Waste  Management  (PWM) Rules, 2016, prohibits manufacture, import, stocking,  distribution,  sale  and  use  of  carry  bags  and  plastic  sheets  less  than  fifty  microns  in thickness in the country. There is complete ban on sachets using plastic material used for storing, packing  or  selling  gutkha,  tobacco  and  pan  masala.  Separately,34  States/UTs  have  issued notifications/orders introducing regulations pertaining to complete or partial ban on plastic carry bags and/or identified single-use plastic items, over and above the PWM Rules.

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change had also issued a notification in the Gazette  of  India  vide  GSR  No.  169  (E)  on  11 th March  2021  containing  draft  provisions  for amending Plastic  Waste  Management  Rules,  2016,  inter  alia  prohibiting  the  use  of  identified single use plastic items by 2022, for public consultation.

As per the notification containing draft provisions, the manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of the following identified single use plastic items are proposed to be prohibited as per schedule given below

|   S. No. | Items                                                                          | Phase out date   |
|----------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------|
|        1 | Carry bag made of virgin or recycled plastic less than120 microns in thickness | 30.09.2021       |

|   2 | Non-woven plastic carry bag less than 60 GSM (Gram per square meter) or 240 microns in thickness                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              | 30.09.2021   |
|-----|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------|
|   3 | Ear buds with plastic sticks, plastic sticks for balloons, plastic flags, candy sticks, ice-cream sticks, polystyrene [Thermocol] for decoration                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              | 1.1.2022     |
|   4 | single-use plastic (including polystyrene and expanded polystyrene) items plates, cups, glasses, cutlery such as forks, spoons, knives, straw,trays, wrapping/packing films around sweet boxes; invitation cards; and cigarette packets, plastic/PVC banners less than 100 micron, stirrers. The above provisions shall not apply to commodities (including carry bags) made of compostable plastic material. | 01.07.2022   |