Lok Sabha Question No. 551 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-07-24
Subject: Ban on Plastic Items
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Asaduddin Owaisi, Manoj Kumar Tiwari, Nishikant  Dubey

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 551

TO BE ANSWERED ON 24.07.2023

## Ban on Plastic Items

## 551.    SHRI ASADUDDIN OWAISI: SHRI MANOJ TIWARI: DR. NISHIKANT DUBEY:

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

- (a) whether the Government proposes to phase out all plastic/polythene items in the coming years;
- (b)  if  so,  the  details  thereof  and  if  not,  the  reasons  there  for  along  with  the  time-frame for complete phase out of all plastic items to achieve the target of total ban on plastic;
- (c) whether the Government is aware that use of plastic packaging is becoming increasingly prevalent in spite of ban on it;
- (d) if so, the details of the quantity of plastic packaging that has been used and banned plastic material seized in the last three years, year-wise;
- (e)  whether  plastic  packaging  used  for  packing  food  of  certain  quality  is  harmful  to  the environment and  human  health  and  if  so,  the  steps  being  taken  by  the  Government  to discourage the same;
- (f)  whether  any  restriction  has  been  imposed  on  industry  regarding  use  of  plastic  as packaging material; and
- (g)  whether  the  Government  has  launched  any  awareness  campaign  to  make  the  general public aware of its disadvantages and if so, the results thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE

(SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

(a)  & (b): The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has notified the Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021, on 12th August 2021, prohibiting manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of the following identified single use plastic items, which have low utility and high littering potential with effect from 1st July, 2022:

(i) ear buds with plastic sticks, plastic sticks for balloons, plastic flags, candy sticks, icecream sticks, polystyrene [Thermocol] for decoration;

(ii)  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.

The notification  also  prohibits  manufacture,  import,  stocking,  distribution,  sale  and  use  of plastic  carry  bags  having  thickness less than thickness of  one  hundred  and  twenty  microns with effect from the 31st December, 2022.

The single use plastic items prohibited  with effect from  1 st   July  2022 have  been identified based upon recommendation of an Expert Committee constituted by Department of Chemical and Petrochemicals, Government of India on single use plastics.

(c) & (d): Plastic packaging is covered under Guidelines for Extended Producer Responsibility  on  Plastic  Packaging.  Further,  the  sachets  using  plastic  material  for  storing, packing  or  selling  gutkha,  tobacco  and  pan  masala  and  wrapping  or  packing  films  around sweet  boxes,  invitation  cards,  and  cigarette  packets,  are  banned  under  Plastic  Waste Management Rules.

(e) to (g): The Food Safety and  Standards Authority  of India lays  down  science  based standards for articles of food and to regulate their manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import, to ensure availability  of  safe and  wholesome food for human consumption and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has notified the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging) Regulations, 2018, which  prescribes  general  and  specific  requirements  for  different  food  packaging  materials including  plastics.  These  regulations  also  specify  that  paper,  glass,  metals  and  plastic materials,  if  used  for  packaging  food  stuffs,  shall  be  manufactured  in  accordance  to  Good Manufacturing  Practices  and  various  national/international  standards.  Further,  packaging material  of  plastic  origin,  is  required  to  pass  the  prescribed  overall  migration  limits  and specific migration limits.

Following  regulatory  measures  have  been  taken  by  FSSAI  to  enable  Food  and  Beverage industry to reduce their plastic foot print:- (i)  issued guidelines for use of bamboo as food contact material; (ii) allowed serving drinking water in paper-sealed reusable glass bottles for captive  use  within  the  hotel  premises  subject  to  certain  conditions;  (iii)  removed  the restriction on use of returnable bottles for packaging of artificially sweetened beverages; (iv) permitted the use of liquid nitrogen dosing in PET bottles during the packaging of drinking water;  (v)  permitted  the  use  of  other  food  grade  packaging  materials  for  packaging  of drinking  water  other  than  plastics  that  are  used  currently;  (vi)  promoted  bio  degradable packaging as part of Eat Right India initiative and encouraged Food Business to reduce use of plastics.

The  EPR  guidelines  on  plastic  packaging  mandate  the  reuse  of  rigid  plastic  packaging, subject to the regulations as prescribed by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India for food  contact  applications.  The  EPR  guidelines  also  promote  sustainable  plastic  packaging thus  reducing  the  plastic  foot  print.  Further,  to  develop  alternatives  to  banned  single  use plastics  the  Ministry  of  Environment,  Forest and  Climate  Change organized,  'India  Plastic Challenge - Hackathon 2021' for start-ups and students of colleges and Universities. Two startups  which  developed  alternative  packaging  material  were  awarded.  One  start  up developed a completely biodegradable alternative to thermocol from paddy straw waste. The other startup developed packaging material using seaweeds.

The Union Government through various central ministries and government agencies has been involved  in  generating  public  awareness  on  plastic  waste  management  and  elimination  of single-use plastics. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change had launched

Prakriti  -  Mascot  on  5th  April  2022.  Three  videos  of  PRAKRITI  have  been  made  on elimination  of  single  use  plastics.  These  videos  have  been  translated  in  19  languages  and have been shared with States and UTs for further dissemination. A dedicated webpage with all  awareness  material  has  been  created  for  making  available all  information  materials  and videos for wider dissemination and use by stakeholders. A National Expo on eco-alternatives to banned single use plastics items and Conference of Startups - 2022 were organized jointly with  Government  of  Tamil  Nadu  in  Chennai  on  26-27th  September  2022. More  than  150 manufacturers of eco-alternatives from across the country participated in the Expo. The Ecoalternatives  were  made  from  coir,  bagasse,  rice  and  wheat  bran,  plant  and  agricultural residue, banana and areca leaves, jute and cloth.

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