Single-use plastic is a plastic item intended to be used once for a short time before being discarded. Examples are straws, disposable cutlery, plates, stirrers, thin carry bags, earbud sticks and sachets.
These items are light, cheap and rarely collected, so they are a major source of litter and microplastics. India banned the manufacture, sale and use of a list of identified single-use plastic items from 1 July 2022 under the Plastic Waste Management Rules, and carry bags must now be at least 120 microns thick. Not all single-use plastic is banned; most packaging remains in use and is covered by EPR instead, which requires it to be collected and recycled. The practical alternatives are to reduce, to reuse, and to design what remains for recyclability.
