New Delhi: As the clock draws closer to the plastic ban that begins on July 1, the Indian plastics industry finds itself on edge. Explaining how manufacturers ramp up production during the pandemic – to keep up Demand for PPE kits and other single use plastic items They say they have been given a raw deal by the Modi government, and have been “criminalized overnight” – they say, considered essential to containment of COVID.
Come Friday, India will ban the manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of identified single-use plastic items that have low utility and high litter potential. The government has refused to extend the deadline despite requests from various stakeholders including fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies.
Items to be banned include plastic plates, cups and glasses and cutlery such as forks, spoons, knives, straws, trays and stirrers. Plastic sticks for earbuds, balloons, flags, candy and ice cream, and thermocol for decoration, wrapping or packing films, plastic invitation cards and cigarette packets, and PVC banners of less than 100 microns will also not be permitted.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), there are about 683 units in India that can manufacture about 2.4 lakh tonnes of single-use plastic per year.
Industry representatives are demanding more time from the government to phase out single use plastic products. And have questioned the government’s move to ban several products, which they claim are reusable.
According to the Thermoformers and Allied Industries Association (TAIA), the industry has a turnover of Rs 10,000 crore and directly employs 2 lakh people. It said the ban would render assets worth Rs 5,000 crore worthless overnight.
It said the ban would also affect the recycling industry, which indirectly supports 4.5 lakh people. Single-use plastic items such as rigid trays, glasses, and cutlery made of polypropylene are picked up by ragpickers and sold to recyclers, who use them to churn plastic sheets that can be used for toothbrushes and other hard plastic products. Can be used to make bristles.
ThePrint reached out to the environment ministry for a comment via email, but had not received a response at the time of publishing this report.
Experts from the Center for Science and Environment (CSE) have described Describing the ban as “limited” but said it was “an important step” towards controlling the plastic menace. Still, he has echoed industry concerns over the fact that the ban does not cover multi-layered packaging, which is used in “nearly all fast-moving consumer goods, from chips to shampoos to gutka sachets.” until”.
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‘Multi-layered plastics are criminals’
According to TAIA, multi-layered plastics or multi-layered packaging (MLP), are the major culprits of plastic pollution. But, the government has given two years to its manufacturers to phase out MLPs in a phased manner.
“These products are lighter in weight and more difficult to recycle. They end up in landfills and oceans,” said TAIA joint secretary Ankur Nagpal.
When it is disposed of, the multi-layered plastic is used for purposes such as road construction and fuel production. CPCB is encouraging various agencies to use waste plastic for road construction.
Industry players say that due to diminishing returns, rag pickers avoid collecting such waste products, which puts the responsibility of MLP segregation on municipal agencies.
“In Bihar, we found that the problem was that the government was not even able to procure the plastic needed to meet the target of building roads. This is because the municipal bodies are not doing the necessary work to collect and segregate plastic waste,” said Prem Kumar, joint secretary, TAIA Eastern Zone.
India produced 34.69 lakh tonnes per annum (tpa) of plastic waste in 2019-2020. About 15.8 lakh TPA of plastic waste was recycled and 1.67 lakh TPA was co-processed in cement kilns. Government’s response in the Lok Sabha.
CSE chief in a statement issued on June 29 Sunita Narayan Advocated a three-pronged strategy to tackle plastic waste in India.
“First of all, all plastics produced and used must be collected for disposal. Secondly, the waste plastic must be recycled or incinerated. It should not reach landfill or choke our reservoirs,” she said.
“Thirdly, the reuse or disposal should be in a manner that is environmentally friendly and does not create more pollution or health hazards. But most importantly, plastic items that are difficult to collect or recycle should be discarded from use. This is where the current restriction, though limited, fits in.
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No ‘viable’ option
TAIA representatives say plastic is ubiquitous because there are no other viable alternatives yet.
“Biodegradable plastics are more expensive. For a roadside vendor, the cost will increase significantly,” Nagpal said. “Also, hot food and beverages cannot be served in them.”
“Paper products put a lot of burden on the environment,” he said. “They are not suitable for serving large portions of juice or drinks. Most paper cups are lined with plastic for durability, making waste non-recyclable and increasing microplastic pollution.
Even though the prime minister announced India’s intention to ban single-use plastics in 2019, there are no clear guidelines, the association claimed.
“During initial discussions with the government, we were told that recyclable products will not be banned,” Kumar said. “If the government was planning to ban them, why did it approve such an extension? Why didn’t it stop us when we were placing huge orders for raw materials from GAIL or ONGC?
Nagpal said he wanted the “government to tell us what we should be producing that it would not impose restrictions”.
TAIA national secretary Bhavesh Bhojani said, “Instead of shutting down our livelihoods, we are asking the government to introduce specifications that make it easier to recycle plastic waste.” “We are on the same page with the government and are willing to cooperate.”
The association has suggested that the government ban the production of plastic cups with a capacity of less than 210 ml and a weight of less than 5 grams. It states that the thickness of plates and trays should not be less than 150 microns or weighing less than 5 grams.
Bhojani said that if the products are bulky, there is more incentive for waste pickers to collect them and sell them to recyclers. He said the industry supports the government’s decision to ban foamed plastics.
(Edited by Tony Rae)
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