Hooray! India May Be Banning Single Use Plastic Products From October 2

In a sweeping measure to wipe out single-use plastic, PM Modi is set to launch a campaign banning as many as six single-use plastic items on October 2^nd , Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday. These items will include plastic bags, cups, plates, small bottles, straws, and certain types of sachets.

 

According to government officials who spoke to India Today (they have asked not to be identified in line with government policy), “The ban will be comprehensive and will cover manufacturing, usage and import of such items.”

 

 In his Independence Day speech, the PM had urged people and government agencies to “take the first big step” on October 2nd, towards freeing India of single-use plastic. The ban is a measure to remove such plastics from cities and villages in India that rank among the world’s most polluted.

 

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Plastic pollution is a growing concern worldwide, especially with regards to the ocean and marine life. According to research commissioned by ‘Seas at Risk’ and conducted by Eunomia Consulting, nearly 50 percent of single-use plastic products end up in the ocean, killing marine life and entering the human food chain. 

Measures to combat this pollution are being taken across the world with the European Union planning to ban single-use plastic items such as straws, forks, knives and cotton buds by 2021. China's commercial hub of Shanghai is gradually reining in use of single-use plastics in catering, and its island province of Hainan has already vowed to completely eliminate single-use plastic by 2025. According to one Indian official, this ban on the first six items of single-use plastics will reduce 5 to 10 percent of India’s 14 million tonne plastic consumption.The government also plans to implement tougher environmental standards for plastic products and plans to insist on the use of recyclable plastics only. They also plan to ask e-commerce companies (such as Amazon and eBay) to cut back on plastic packaging, which makes up nearly 40 percent of India’s annual plastic consumption.

 

While we are still waiting to hear an official confirmation on this news,  let’s hope that the campaign will help protect the environment and counter the environmental threats posed by plastic waste.