Haryana bans single-use plastic from today

Chandigarh: The Haryana government on Thursday said it has decided to ban single-use plastic in the state from July 1.

To phase out single-use plastic items by 2022, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change had issued a notification in August last year, banning the manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of identified single-use plastic items, which have low quality and high littering potential, across the country from July 1, a spokesperson of the state government said here.

The state government has taken resolute steps for mitigation of pollution caused by littered single-use plastic, he added.

The list of banned items includes ear buds with plastic sticks, plastic sticks for balloons, plastic flags, candy sticks, ice-cream sticks, polystyrene (thermocol) for decoration, plastic plates, cups, glasses, cutlery such as forks, spoons, knives, straws, trays, wrapping or packing items around sweet boxes, invitation cards, cigarette packets, plastic or PVC banners less than 100 micron and stirrers, the spokesperson said.

To effectively enforce the ban from Friday, national and state-level control rooms will be set up and special enforcement teams will be formed for checking illegal manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of the banned single-use plastic items, the spokesperson said.

The states and Union territories have been asked to set up border checkpoints to stop the inter-state movement of the banned single-use plastic items, he added.