The Central government is all set to ban the use of single-use plastic from July 1, 2022.
Those violating single use plastic ban can be penalized under the Environment Protection Act 1986.
It allows for imprisonment up to 5 years, a penalty up to Rs. 1 lakh, or both.
The Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change had notified the Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021.
These rules were notified to prohibit specific single-use plastic items, that have “high littering potential and low utility” by 2022.
As per rules, manufacturing, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of identified single-use plastic will be banned.
It is including the polystyrene and expanded polystyrene.
This ban will not be applicable to commodities made of compostable plastic.
Permitted thickness of the plastic bags have been increased to 75 microns, from 50 microns, starting from September 30, 2021 and to 120 microns from December 31, 2022.
As per the Plastic Waste Management Rules of 2016, there is also a complete ban on sachets using plastic material for storing, packing, or selling Gutkha, tobacco, and pan masala
The Central Pollution Control Board, and state pollution bodies, are the monitoring authority.
They will monitor the ban, identify violations, and impose penalties that have been under Environmental Protection Act, 1986
In India, 9.46 million tonnes of plastic waste are generated every year.
Out of which 43% is single use plastic.
As per the report published in 2021, the single use plastics account for a third of all plastic produced globally.