SINGLE USE PLASTIC

Why in news? : Union Government has banned the use of ‘single-use plastic’ from July 1. The Ministry for Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) had issued a gazette notification last year announcing the ban, and has now defined a list of items that will be banned.

What MoEFCC’s Notification says? : “The manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of single-use plastic, including polystyrene and expanded polystyrene, commodities shall be prohibited with effect from the 1st July, 2022.

What is Single-use plastic? : Plastic items that are used once and discarded. Single-use plastic has among the highest shares of plastic manufactured and used — from packaging of items, to bottles (shampoo, detergents, cosmetics), polythene bags, face masks, coffee cups, cling film, trash bags, food packaging etc.