From 1st July 2022, the Ministry of Environment, forest and Climate change (MoEFCC) have announced a ban on single-use plastic. Because single-use plastic is a source of pollution and human health hazards. Single-use plastic is a form of disposable plastic which is only used once and then has to be thrown away or recycled. Therefore, sometimes, single-use plastic is known as a throwaway. The single-use plastic items include plastic bags, water bottles, soda bottles, straws, plastic plates, cups, most food packaging and coffee stirrers, and earbuds. The report found that India is in the top 100 countries of single-use plastic waste at 94, in which Singapore, Australia and Oman are the top three countries in the world. Thus, India’s net generation of single-use plastic waste is 5.6 MMT, with the domestic production is 11.8 million metric tonnes annually and import of 2.9 MMT but per capita, generation is 4 kg.
Meanwhile, one of the reasons behind the banning of single-use plastics is that pollution is harmful to human health, marine, and the environment. For example, more than 150 million pieces of plastic garbage are floating in water daily, which is harming aquatic life, animals, human life and so on. Moreover, the positive impact of single-use plastic is reducing human health issues, saving marine life, and tackling air and water pollution. And the other hand, the negative impact of banning single-use plastic is creating unemployment because more than 40 lakh people are working in the plastic industry during this time. Also, the cost of paper bags is more than thin plastic bags. For example, a plastic bag is very cheap, which is 10-15 paisa, but a paper bag costs more than 25-30 rupees in the market.
Need to the hour; The government should take initiatives, for example, recycling plastics for better purposes and notifying the management of waste plastic rules, 2016. Government should also educate the public and trade bodies to achieve the plastics ban benefits. If we see, the long-term benefits of the ban on single-use plastic bags are that economy and saving taxpayer money can lead to plastic bag clean-up. By banning the single-use of plastic, India can create an easy way to achieve the SDG goal of 2030 and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Also, PM Modi’s said, our reform is temporarily unpleasant, but it’s beneficial for the long term. Moreover, people welcome the ban on single-use plastic for a sustainable environment and to achieve the target of 40 per cent of fossil fuel emissions in 2030. And India also has aimed to achieve Zero emission targets by 2070. Thus, India’s time has come to ban all plastic items, and to promote recycled products and provide a safe environment for all living organisms in the 21st century. This is one of the important reforms of the Modi government which has taken from 1st July, and it helps to achieve the dream of NEW INDIA’s, ATMA NIRBHAR BHARAT or self-reliant @75 under Modi 2.0