Plastic Ban – Has it been effective?

Why and how was the plastic ban implemented in Tamil Nadu?
At the World Environment Day Summit on June 5, 2018, Union Minister Harsh
Vardhan, in the presence of Prime Minister, Narendra Modi had pledged to
eliminate the use of single-use plastics from India by 2022. This pushed several
states like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Himachal Pradesh to ban single-use
plastic bags and disposables.

When was it implemented in Tamil Nadu?

In January 2019, the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) had passed the
order:

“No industry or person shall manufacture, store, supply, transport, sell or

distribute, ‘use and throwaway plastics’. No person including a shopkeeper,
vendor, wholesaler, retailer, trader, hawker or salesman shall use, ‘use and
throwaway plastics’,” said the order passed under the provisions of the
Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.

The Government listed 14 plastic products to be banned. The list includes:

 Single-use plates
 Cups
 Spoons
 Forks
 Plastic-coated items
 Plastic bag
 Plastic sheets
 Plastic packaging material
 Non-woven bags
 Straws

The items excluded are plastic cases containing milk, curd, biodegradable plastics
and packaging plastics like water bottles, etc.
The government had identified and listed 12 alternatives that are eco-friendly,
namely:

 Cloth bags
 Banana leaves
 Glass containers
 Paper plates and cups

But four months down the line manufacturers, traders and shopkeepers are back to
their old ways. Though wholesalers admit to a drop in sales, they say it is not
much. On a visit to the local shop and markets one can see that plastic bags are
very much in use. The TNPCB officials have been conducting raids regularly and
seized 86 tonnes of banned items in January, the numbers in February dipped to 24
tonnes and further down in March to 7 tonnes.

A TNPCB spokes person says, “Our role is limited to the manufacturing sector.
When the announcement was made on single-use plastic ban in the state, there
were about 173 units manufacturing those 14 banned items. We strictly instructed
them not to manufacture them. Since January, these 14 banned items haven’t been
produced in the manufacturing units across the state.”

How plastic bags and other banned items still manage to find its way into the
markets?
The TNPCB official further adds, “There could be small units functioning out of
houses. But as soon as such units are brought to our attention, we immediately take
action.”

What about carry bags that are sold as bio-degradable ones?

A higher official says, “There could be plastic carry bags in batches of thousands
that come to the market. It’s quite tough to check every single piece. So, it’s better
to avoid them. We’ve issued notice to four of them. They’re claiming that they’ve
got approval from CPCB, but it requires a follow-up process. It needs to be sent to
a lab for confirmation.”

What can the common man do?

The ban first starts with you and in your household. So make up your mind to:

 Reduce and refuse single-use plastics when you shop.

  Use a cloth bag
 Use nature-friendly alternatives.

Be conscientious to leave a better world for the generations to come.