Accordingly the Government order lists plastic sheets used for food wrapping, spreading on dining tables, plastic plates, plastic coated tea cups and plastic tumblers, water pouches and packets, plastic straw, plastic carry bag and plastic flags irrespective of thickness as banned items. Meanwhile the order banned all single use plastics (irrespective of micron size), later the Government exempted certain items from the banned list.
Reportedly Plastic bags manufactured for exports, plastic bags which constitute or form an integral part of packaging in which goods are sealed prior to use at manufacturing/processing units, plastic bags and sheets used in forestry and horticulture nurseries, milk and milk products, oil, medicine and medical equipment, carry bags made from compostable plastics bearing the labeled “Compostable” and conforming to the Indian Standard IS or ISO 17088:2008 can be used.
Moreover high end cafes, restaurants and hotels have switched to alternatives like cloth bags, aluminium foil sheets, and plat fiber boxes, it is quite evident that small hotels and roadside joints are grappling to find similar alternatives while maintaining affordable costs. Apparently some blame the government for the confusion, an official from Tamilnadu’s Pollution Control Board notes that the government is constantly involved in creating awareness regarding the ban.
