Sale of single-use plastic continues with impunity

Manmeet Singh Gill

Amritsar, July 18

Though it has been nearly two years since the ban on use of single-use plastic items came into force, the presence of these items can easily be seen in market places, food businesses and even homes.

The items with plastic sticks such as balloons, ear buds, candies, plastic flags and others are sold in every market of the city. Even plastic cups, plates, forks, spoons and knives continue to be used by food stalls.

While these use-and-throw plastic items form a major chunk of the plastic waste generated by homes and food businesses, the government has failed to implement the ban order which became effective from July 1, 2022.

However, during the initial days of the ban, a change in the attitude of shopkeepers and customers was visible as they started refusing to give a plastic bag and customers had to carry a cloth bag with them while going to the market.

As per the Plastic Waste Management Rules, manufacturing, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of single-use plastic items, including polystyrene and expanded polystyrene commodities, is prohibited.

As the residents question the logic behind framing laws which are seldom implemented due to lack of will, the Municipal Corporation sometimes makes efforts by visiting manufacturing units where it has so far failed to discover some major violation of rules.

Kultar Singh, a local resident, said, “Most single-use plastic items are openly sold in the market. Even the langars organised on roadsides by various religious and social organisations use plastic cutlery.” He said that action must also be taken against businesses which sell these items to the end-customers and mere checking of manufacturing units is not sufficient.