Ban on production of specific plastic goods from July 2022

Govt. notifies Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021

Come July next year, the manufacture of a range of plastic products will be banned. These include ear buds with plastic sticks, plastic sticks for balloons, plastic flags, candy sticks, ice-cream sticks, thermocol for decoration, plates, cups, glasses, cutlery such as forks, spoons, knives, straws, trays, wrapping or packing films around sweet boxes, invitation cards, and cigarette packets, plastic or PVC banners less than 100 microns, and stirrers. The Environment Ministry on Friday notified the Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021, which prohibits specific single-use plastic items which have “low utility and high littering potential” by 2022. Plastic packaging waste isn't yet covered under the phase-out of single-use plastic items. The Environment Ministry told the Rajya Sabha in July of its proposal to phase out some categories of single use plastic by 2022.