Lok Sabha Question No. 1361 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-12-11
Subject: Ban on Single Use Plastics
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Himadri Singh, Ajay Kumar Mandal, Rajendra Dhedya  Gavit, Locket Chatterjee, Sunil Kumar Pintu, Ravindra Kushawaha, Rama Devi, Sanghamitra Maurya, Ravi Kishan Shukla, Ramesh Chander Kaushik, Geeta Kora, Sanjay Bhatia

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 1361

TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.12.2023

## Ban on Single Use Plastics

1361.   SHRIMATI HIMADRI SINGH;

SHRI AJAY KUMAR MANDAL;

SHRI RAJENDRA DHEDYA GAVIT;

MS. LOCKET CHATTERJEE;

SHRI SUNIL KUMAR PINTU;

SHRI RAVINDRA KUSHWAHA;

SHRIMATI RAMA DEVI;

DR. SANGHMITRA MAURYA;

SHRI RAVI KISHAN;

SHRI RAMESH CHANDER KAUSHIK;

SHRIMATI GEETA KORA

SHRI SANJAY BHATIA:

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

- (a) the details of the implementation mechanism to ban single use plastic as notified under the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2021;
- (b) the details of the proposed expansion in the list of plastic items identified as banned;
- (c) whether several manufacturers have continued manufacturing banned plastic items such as straw, straw cover, cigarette packets etc.;
- (d) the various measures taken by the Government to reduce the use of plastic and other non-biodegradable materials by the industries including the health sector;
- (e) the measures taken by the Government to completely eliminate the use of plastic and the target set for zero use of plastic;
- (f) the  measures  taken  by  the  Government  to  collect,  separate  and  process  all  nonbiodegradable materials from various sources in the country; and
- (g) the details of measures taken by the Government to prevent the use of plastic at the public places including beaches and parks?

## ANSWER

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

(SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

(a) to (g): 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 identified Single Use Plastic (SUP) items, which have low utility and high littering potential with effect from the 1st July, 2022. The notification also prohibits manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of plastic carry bags having thickness less than one hundred and twenty microns with effect from the 31st December, 2022. Non-woven plastic carry bags of less than 60 gram per sqm (GSM) are also  prohibited  from  30 th   September  2021.  Separately,  as  per  CPCB  Annual  Report,  36 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.

In order to strengthen implementation of Plastic Waste Management Rules and to implement ban on identified single use plastic items, all thirty-six States/UTs have constituted the Special Task Force for elimination of identified single use plastic items and effective plastic waste management. A National Level Taskforce has also been constituted by the Ministry for taking coordinated efforts to eliminate identified single use plastic items and effective implementation of Plastic Waste Management Rules.

Directions have been issued under Section 5 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 to Ecommerce  companies,  leading  single  use  plastic  sellers/users,  and  plastic  raw  material manufacturers with respect to phasing out of identified single use plastic items. Separately, Customs authorities have been asked to stop the import of banned SUP items. For effective monitoring of ban on identified single use plastic items and plastic waste management in the country, the following online platforms are in operation (a) National Dashboard for monitoring of  implementation  of  comprehensive  action  plan,  (b)  CPCB  Monitoring  Module  for Compliance on Elimination of Single Use Plastic, and (c) CPCB Grievance Redressal App.

States  and  Union  Territories  have  been  asked  to  undertake  regular  enforcement  drives  to implement ban on identified single use plastic items and on plastic carry bags having thickness less than one hundred twenty microns covering fruit and vegetable markets, wholesale markets, local markets, flower vendors, units manufacturing plastic carry bags etc. Further, CPCB/SPCBs/PCCs have been asked to give specific focus on items, which are being sold as alternatives to banned SUP items but which are actually covered under SUP ban, such as paper plates covered with plastic sheets.

Pan India enforcement campaigns and regular enforcement drives have been undertaken for implementation  of  ban  on  identified  single  use  plastic  items  since  July  2022  by  CPCB, SPCBs/PCCs and local authorities to implement ban on identified single use plastic items and on plastic carry bags having thickness less than one hundred twenty microns. Actions have been taken on the deviations, which include seizure of banned single use plastic items and levy of penalty. There is no proposal under consideration on expansion of single use plastic ban, at present.

During the enforcement campaign, non-compliance of the ban on identified single use plastic has been found in commercial establishments and manufacturing units including in small shops in local markets. Actions have been taken on the deviations, which include seizure of banned single use plastic items and levy of penalty.

The Plastic Waste Management Rules (PWMR), 2016, provides the statutory framework for plastic waste management in an environmentally sound manner throughout the country. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has also notified the Guidelines on the Extended  Producer  Responsibility  for  plastic  packaging  vide  Plastic  Waste  Management Amendment Rules, 2022, on 16 th  February, 2022. Producers, Importers and Brand Owners of plastic  packaging  are  obligated  to  meet  Extended  Producer  Responsibility  Targets  for  the plastic packaging introduced by them in the market. This enables recycling/end of life disposal of the plastic packaging in an environmentally sound manner.

The Government of India provides additional central assistance to the States/UTs under the Swachh  Bharat  Mission  for  solid  waste  management  including  plastic  waste  management. Swachh Bharat Mission Urban 2.0 has specific focus on elimination of single use plastics.

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 (GMP) and various national/international standards. Further, packaging material of plastic origin, is required to meet the prescribed overall migration limits and specific migration limits.

Regulatory  measures  have  been  taken  by  FSSAI  to  enable  Food  and  Beverage  industry  to reduce their plastic foot print such as  (i)  issued guidelines for use of bamboo as food contact material;  (ii)  allowed  serving  of  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.

MoEF&CC organized a nationwide cleanliness-cum-awareness drive in 75 identified beaches in  10  coastal  states  namely  Gujarat,  Daman  &  Diu,  Maharashtra,  Goa,  Karnataka,  Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha under the Swachh-Nirmal Tat Abhiyan initiative.  The  Government  of  India  undertook  the  "Swachh  Sagar,  Surakshit  Sagar  (Clean Coast Safe Sea)" campaign, a 75-day citizen-led campaign for improving ocean health through collective action by removing 15 thousand tonnes of plastic waste from the beaches across India's 7500 km coastline.

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