India bans 19 single-use plastic products to protect the Environment
The Modi government has banned 19 single-use plastic products to reduce environmental pollution. The ban includes straws, disposable cutlery, earbuds, plastic sticks with balloons, candy-ice cream, and packets of cigarettes.
The ban on 19 plastic products made it illegal to produce, import, store, distribute or sell them. The Government of India has decided to set up a control room to prevent the illegal use, sale, and distribution of disposable plastics.
However, the actual application of the law is in the hands of the individual state and city municipal bodies. Disposable plastic bags will also remove gradually. The use of thick bags will introduce to encourage reuse.
However, plastic manufacturers are not happy with this announcement. They have appealed to the government not to ban plastics for the time being. They are raising the issue of ongoing inflation.
According to them, it would be detrimental to tackle inflation. Besides, due to this decision, many people will be afraid of losing their jobs. They complained that they had not been given adequate time to prepare for the ban.
Bhupendra Yadav, Union Environment Minister of India, said at a news conference in New Delhi, “The ban has been under consideration for the last year.
Plastic bottles were not on the ban list. However, the central government will set some policies for them. Companies such as PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, PARLE AGRO, Dabur, and Amul have tried to get Straw removed from the ban. According to experts, it is difficult to reduce the use of plastic with just a ban.”
Ravi Agarwal, Director of Delhi-based advocacy group Toxics Link, said, “The decision to ban is a good one. However, its success will depend on how effective it has been.
About 14 million tons of plastic are used annually in India. The lack of an organized waste management system causes widespread waste in the country.
The country is littered with used plastic items across the city, which has spread to drains, rivers, and seas. Due to all these, animals are also getting harmed. In many cases, the effects of these animals also die.”
The United Nations says there is massive plastic waste in the oceans. The amount is approximately 100 million tons. Scientists have also found the presence of tiny plastic particles in the stomachs of whales living in the deep sea.
