As per report with just two weeks to go for the plastic ban in Tamilnadu to come into effect, a group of manufacturers have approached the Madras High Court, seeking an exemption for polypropylene bags. Meanwhile a division bench of Justice M M Sundresh and Justice Krishnan Ramasamy sought a reply from the Tamilnadu government on Monday. Reportedly a batch of petitions has been moved by polypropylene bag manufacturers, including the Tirupur based E Bags Export.
As per latest report the manufacturers of non-woven polypropylene bags have claimed that it is textile material and not plastic. Meanwhile they have reportedly been classified under the ‘green’ category for textile fabrics. Reportedly the petition states, “It is chemically inert/non-toxic, and its burning does not produce poisonous gases or pollutants. No waste is generated while manufacturing and this fabric’s weak chemical structure leads to easy breakdown of its molecular chain, thereby disintegrating on exposure to sunlight and rainfall in six months.”
Tamilnadu Plastic Manufacturers’ Association (TAPMA) said "The government order bans all forms of plastics packaging including by small retail outlets, grocery shops, whereas the same is permitted for MNCs and FMCG companies, and this will hit the businesses of over 200,000 small vendors, hawkers, shops, hotels, restaurants, sweet shops, etc".
