Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
• Eachcarrierbagmadefromcompostableplasticsshallbearalabel'compostable'
and shall conform to the Indian Standard: IS/ISO 17088:2008 [54].
• Retailersshallensurethatplasticcarrierbagsandmulti-layeredpackagingsold
by them are properly labelled, as per the stipulations under these rules.
Plastic waste management has assumed great signiicance in view of urban activities.
Plastic waste generated by the polymer manufacturers at the production, extrusion,
quality control and laboratory testing stages, as well as by the consumers, requires
urgent disposal and recycling to avoid health hazards. Various strategies are being
devised to mitigate the impact of plastic waste in India.
Himachal Pradesh (Northern India) has implemented a total ban on plastic bag
production, storage, use, sale and distribution. Penalties are severe and include up to
seven years imprisonment or a ine of up to 100,000 rupees). In Mumbai, the Council
banned the use of plastic bags and market traders now hand out recycled paper bags.
The Tamil Nadu Government announced in the State Legislature in June 2011, that
they were banning the use of plastic carrier bags made of virgin plastic or recycled
plasticoflessthan60μmthicknessandgreaterthan20×30cminsize.Recyclingof
plastics is also strictly regulated in accordance with the speciications of the Bureau of
Indian Standards. It has also launched a massive clean-up drive in all the towns and
villages, as well as launching education and communication campaigns encouraging
the public to not to use non-degradable plastics. In line with the 11
th
February 2011
Notiication of the Ministry of Environment and Forests, the supermarkets and
commercial wholesale and retail shops are charging customers 1−7 rupees per plastic
bag, depending on the size of the plastic carrier bag. In one of the leading multi-brand
shops at Chennai, India, a billboard placed just behind the billing counter has the
following slogan 'BYOB' - meaning 'Bring Your Own Bag'. The shop charges three
rupees for a small bag, ive rupees for a medium bag and seven rupees for a large bag.
The Pollution Control Boards of some of the Indian States are also educating the
public on the dangers of improper disposal and the advantages of using alternatives,
with advertisements on buses, media campaigns and exhibitions.
In Panaji, Goa, there is a campaign involving donating old newspapers and magazines
to local charitable organisations. These newspapers are made into paper bags and sold
to shops or pharmacies to reduce the use of plastic bags. The income generated from
the sale of these bags is in turn helping the charity organisations to buy provisions
and medicines.
