Single-use plastic ban kicks in

PTI

New Delhi, July 1

The ban on certain single-use plastic (SUP) items kicks in from Friday, with state governments initiating an enforcement campaign to identify and close down units engaging in production, distribution, stocking and sale of such items, officials said.

Though several manufacturers have said they are not prepared to implement the ban due to lack of alternatives, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav had on Tuesday said the government had given enough time to the industry and the general public to prepare for the ban on SUP items and it hopes for everyone’s cooperation in implementing it from July 1.

Violation of the ban will invite punitive action, including a fine or a jail term or both, detailed under Section 15 of the Environment Protection Act (EPA) and under bylaws of respective municipal corporations, officials in the Union environment ministry said. For the effective enforcement of the ban, national and state-level control rooms have been set up and special enforcement teams formed to check illegal manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of banned SUP items, they said. States and Union Territories have been asked to set up border checkpoints to stop the interstate movement of any banned SUP items.

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#Environment #Pollution #Polythene Ban #Single Use Plastic Ban