Incomprehensive list of banned single-use plastic items: CSE

NEW DELHI: According to the environmental think tank Center for Science and Environment (CSE), the list of single-use plastic (SUP) items that will be prohibited as of July 1, is insufficient since it leaves out multi-layer packaging, which is the real threat when it comes to plastic contamination. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India, classified SUP goods as plastic objects meant to be used once for the same purpose before being disposed of or recycled, in a notification from August 2021. A strategy for the phase-out of particular SUP goods was also presented in the announcement.

The ban is set to take effect on July 1 and will apply to things like plastic carry bags (less than 75 micron in thickness, to be increased to 120 micron in December 2022), earphones, plastic dinnerware (spoons, plates, and glasses), straws, and several types of plastic packing material. According to Siddharth Singh, Programme Manager for the CSE’s Solid Waste Management Unit, one of the main issues with the ban is that the list of items isn’t comprehensive. The list omits multi-layered packaging (MLP). MLP is heavily used in all fast-moving consumer items, from chips to shampoo to gutka pouches.

Sunita Narain, Director General of CSE, stated that MLP is the true threat to plastic pollution because it is difficult to collect and process this material. There is only one option to dispose of MLP which is, delivering them to the cement facilities for burning. According to the government notification, the extended producer responsibility (EPR) covers all packaging materials. Under EPR, businesses that produce or use this material are obligated to return it and submit it for reprocessing. Businesses have been given annual targets for the amount that must be collected. Despite the fact that this appears to be a decent idea on paper, Narain claims that there are issues with the implementation of EPR. For instance, neither the amount of this plastic material nor the garbage the business produces are disclosed. It is not only dependent on self-declaration, but there is also no evidence to evaluate its accuracy that is in the public domain. This means that the goal established for each organisation is useless. Plastic straws are one of the plastic things that will be prohibited, and massive fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) businesses are arguing that they are a necessary component of product packaging.