Lok Sabha Question No. 880 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-02-07
Subject: Plastic Pollution
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Prasun Banerjee

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 880

TO BE ANSWERED ON 07.02.2022

## Plastic Pollution

## 880. SHRI PRASUN BANERJEE:

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

- (a) the steps taken by the Government to stop the plastic pollution; and
- (b) whether the Government has  any policy to introduce  gunny  bags  instead  of  plastic bags for storing food grains?

## ANSWER

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

(a) and (b): The  Plastic  Waste  Management  Rules,  2016,  as  amended,  provide  the statutory  framework  for  plastic  waste  management  in  an  environmentally  sound  manner throughout the country. The Rules 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.  The  Rules  also  provide  measures  for  recycling  of  plastic waste and its end of life disposal in an environmentally sound manner.

Considering  the  adverse  effect  on  littered  single  use  plastic  items  on  terrestrial, aquatic  and  marine  ecosystems,  the  Ministry  has  notified  the  Plastic  Waste  Management Amendment Rules, 2021, vide GSR  NO. 571 (E) on 12th August 2021, in the Gazette  of India, prohibiting identified single use plastic items, which have low utility and high littering potential, by 1 st July 2022.

As  far as, plastic carry bags are concerned, the  Plastic  Waste  Management Amendment Rules, 2021, prohibits manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of plastic carry bags having thickness less than seventy five microns with effect from 30th September, 2021, and having thickness less thanthickness of one hundred and twenty microns with  effect  from  the  31st  December,  2022.Further,  over  and  above  the  Plastic  Waste Management Rules, 2016, thirty four states/UTs have issued notifications/orders to introduce regulations  pertaining  to  complete  or  partial  ban  on  plastic  carry  bags  and/or  identified single-use plastic items.

The  Ministry  of  Environment,  Forest  and  Climate  Change  has  notified  the  draft Regulations  on  the  Extended  Producer  Responsibility  for  plastic  packaging  under  Plastic

Waste Management Rules, 2016, as amended from time to time, in the Gazette of India vide GSR No. 722 (E) on 6th October, 2021for public consultation. As per the draft notification, the producer, Importers &brand-owners respectively shall ensure minimum level of recycling (excluding end of life disposal) of plastic packaging waste collected under Extended Producer Responsibility.  The  enforceable  prescription  of  minimum  level  of  recycling  of  plastic packaging  waste  collected  under  Extended  Producer  Responsibility  to  producer,  Importers &brand-owners in the draft notification  will  further  strengthen  circular  economy  of  plastic packaging waste.

Bags made of alternative materials to plastic such as jute has been used for packaging food grains. The Jute Packaging Materials (Compulsory Use in packaging Commodities) Act, 1987  authorize  the  Government  of  India  to  reserve  certain  commodities  or  class  of commodities  for  compulsory  packaging  in  jute  packaging  material  in  the  interest  of  jute economy.  During  the  Jute  Year  2020  -  2021,  food  grains  and  sugar  were  reserved  for packaging in jute material.

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