Page 29 - Plastics News October 2019

FEATURES

Lack of clarity puts businesses in limbo

Industry seeks clarity on the government's plan to phase out single-use plastic by 2022 and urged the Centre
to issue clear guidelines on SUP

ddressing Swachh Bharat Diwas 2019 at the bank of ´:H KDYH QR JXLGHOLQHV UHJDUGLQJ LWV XVDJH DQG WKHUH LV QR
ARiver Sabarmati earlier this month, Prime Minister concrete plan as to how its usage can be stopped,” said
Narendra Modi urged the people of India to give up single- Samyal. She added there is no proper ground work done
XVH SODVWLF E\ +H VDLG WKLV LQLWLDWLYH ZLOO EHQHÀW WKH by the government regarding the ban it earlier wanted
environment, decongest roads and sewer lines, and protect to impose.
ELRGLYHUVLW\ 2IÀFLDOV DOVR FODULÀHG WKDW WKH JRYHUQPHQW There are three elementary steps for successfully banning
does not propose a blanket ban on single-use plastic on
October 2 and instead prefers SODVWLF SURGXFWV VDLG 6DP\DO 7KH JRYHUQPHQW ÀUVW QHHGV
to prepare a list of items that cannot be recycled. It must
a phased reduction in the use then ascertain what available alternatives can be provided
of plastic products, Secretary, for them. Only if these items are readily available should
Ministry of Environment, the ban be implemented. Otherwise, the industry must
Forest and Climate Change be provided a “transition period”.
C K Mishra said addressing the
media. He added that what However, according to Swati, around 15 to 16 lakh people
the government proposes is are directly or indirectly associated with the plastic
launch of a “mass movement industry. There are nearly 3,500 units in the organised
to sensitise the public against sector while another 4,000 units are in the unorganised
the use of plastic”. sector...
:KLOH WKH IRFXV LV QRZ RQ FUHDWLQJ JUHDWHU DZDUHQHVV E commerce
about littering plastics waste and avoid the use of Single
XVH SODVWLF EXW ZLWK QR VSHFLÀF GHÀQLWLRQ RQ 6LQJOH XVH /DFN RI FODULW\ OHDYHV ( FRPPHUFH FRPSDQLHV LQ D À[
Plastics its adding to the problems and has put businesses ( FRPPHUFH FRPSDQLHV DUH LQ D À[ DV D GHFLVLRQ LV \HW
in limbo. to be taken on a nationwide blanket ban on single-use
plastic. The companies have been left wondering how
,QGXVWU\ KDV VRXJKW FODULW\ RQ WKH JRYHUQPHQW V SODQ WR they will ship products from a State that does not have a
phase out single-use plastic by 2022 and urged the Centre ban, to one that does. According to sources, earlier this
to issue clear guidelines on SUP.
year, the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) sent
India’s plastic-processing industry has over 30,000 units a show-cause notice to Amazon over the use of bubble
and an annual turnover of Rs 2.25 lakh crore. The industry wrap plastic packaging.
also employs over 4 million people. The government will
have to carefully weigh the impact of a ban, in terms The company sought legal opinion and enhanced the
of plant closures and job losses, at a time of economic quality of its bubble-wrap to over 50 microns to adhere to
downturn.
Also the fact remains India’s plastic recycling rate is 60
per cent , three times higher than the global average of 20
per cent , and India’s per capita plastic consumption — at
11 kg in 2014-15 — is less than half the global average of
28 kg. In 2016, India said it wanted to increase the per
capita plastic use to 20 kg by 2022. Since half the plastic
now produced is meant to be used only once, India has
WR ÀJXUH RXW ZKDW SODVWLF LW ZDQWV WR XVH DQG EDQ ³ DQG
how it will recycle all that trash.
Swati Singh Samyal, who is associated with Centre for
Science and Environment, acknowledged the fact that
WKH JRYHUQPHQW KDV QR ¶GHÀQLWLRQ· IRU VLQJOH XVH SODVWLF

29 October 2019 Plastics News