Page 25 - Plastics News February 2025
P. 25
ENVIRONMENT NEWS
Why Aren’t Plastic Flowers Banned? Bombay
High Court Questions the Centre
n a recent hearing, the Bombay High Court The HC has directed the Centre to submit a de-
raised concerns over the exclusion of plas- tailed response within two weeks, while also in-
Itic flowers from the list of banned single-use structing the GFCI to file a rejoinder. The discus-
plastic items. The court questioned the Centre’s sion gains significance as the court had, in July
stance on whether these artificial flowers, which last year, observed that there seemed to be no
are widely used for decoration, are truly recycla- legal barriers preventing a ban on plastic flow-
ble and biodegradable. ers, particularly those with a thickness of less
than 100 microns. In light of this, both the Centre
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Alok and the state government were previously or-
Aradhe and Justice Bharati Dangre posed criti- dered to submit affidavits regarding the feasibil-
cal questions to the Centre, highlighting the po- ity of such a prohibition.
tential environmental hazards posed by plastic
flowers. The judges specifically asked whether The issue of banning plastic flowers ties into the
these synthetic flowers, often made from low- broader conversation about India’s plastic waste
quality plastic, could be effectively recycled or if management policies. While the government has
they contributed to plastic pollution. taken stringent steps to eliminate various forms
of single-use plastics, the continued circulation
The matter was brought to the court’s attention of artificial flowers raises questions about the ef-
by the Growers' Flower Council of India (GFCI), fectiveness of these regulations.
which filed a petition urging the Centre to impose
a ban on plastic flowers. The petition argued that As the legal debate unfolds, environmentalists
plastic flowers not only threaten the livelihood of and stakeholders in the floral industry await a
natural flower growers but also contribute to en- decisive verdict that could influence future plas-
vironmental degradation. In response, the court tic regulations in the country.
reviewed the Centre’s notification on single-use Source: Times of India
plastics, which states that items that are non-
recyclable or non-biodegradable fall under the
category of banned materials. This led the court
to question the rationale behind excluding plas-
tic flowers from the ban.
February 2025 PLASTICS NEWS 25
