The government will establish control rooms at the national and state levels to effectively manage the ban on single-use plastic from July 1. In addition to the control rooms, special enforcement teams will monitor the production, import, stocking, distribution, sale, and use of the 19 single-use plastic products that were to that comes under the prohibition. According to CPCB officials, States and Union Territories are requesting to establish border checkpoints to halt the interstate transportation of any single-use plastic item.
CPCB’s Instructions:
The following items will no longer be in use: stirrers, earbuds with plastic sticks, balloons with plastic sticks, plastic flags, candy sticks, ice cream sticks, thermocol for decorations, plastic plates, cups, and glasses, cutlery, straws, trays, wrapping or packaging films around sweet boxes. There were three criteria to a pick a product for the ban. Those criteria are less utility, high potential for littering, and accessibility of substitute materials. The CPCB delivered warnings to these businesses last year informing them of the prohibition and instructing them to start the process. So, we know that the producers of these prohibited items have already relocated or are in the process of doing so. In total, producers had 11 months to prepare themselves before the ban come into effect. We think they are on our side and working with us said Bhupender Yadav, Minister for Environment, Forest & Climate Change; and Labour & Employment.
The CPCB estimates that in 2020–21, plastic waste generation totaled 41,26,997 tonnes. While waste production per person was 3 kg annually. There are 683 facilities producing single-use plastic with a combined annual capacity of 2.44 lakh. 433 units have already had their consent changed or canceled by the CPCB. The CPCB’s analysis of plastic waste in 18 cities shows that 10% – 35% of total plastic waste is single-use plastic.
Conclusion:
By prioritizing low utility things, the government is moving in the right direction. However, because chemicals must be added to plastic in order for it to decompose, fragmenting it into tiny pieces that are difficult to deal with while it is still in the environment, biodegradable plastic can be exceedingly dangerous.