The new plastic waste management rules have frozen the new rules for 10 years- removing all ambiguity for the next 10 years. It clearly states that: any notification prohibiting the manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of carry bags, plastic sheets or like, or cover made of plastic sheets and multi- layered packaging and single-use plastic, including polystyrene and expanded polystyrene, commodities, issued after this notification, shall come into force after the expiry of ten years, from the date of its publication. 

What items have been banned?

A complete ban on the following items has been issued from 1^st July 2022:

Earbuds with plastic sticks.
Plastic sticks for balloons.
Plastic flags.
Plastic candy sticks.
Plastic ice-cream sticks.
Polystyrene for decorations.

Single use plastic plates, cups & glasses.
Single use plastic straws.
Single use plastic cutleries such as forks, spoons, knives, trays, stirrers.
Plastic films used around sweet boxes.
Plastic film used around invitation cards.
Plastic cigarette packets,
Plastic or PVC banners less than 100 micron.

What items have been affected by Increase in microns rule?

Only Plastic carry bags made of virgin or recycled plastic should not be less than 75 microns in thickness from 30^th Sept 2021  & 120 microns in thickness from 31st December 2022. 

All other forms of industrial packaging, food packaging, secondary packaging remain intact up to 50 microns. 

To remove ambiguity the definition of carry bags has clearly been mentioned as:
“Carry bags” mean bags made from plastic material or compostable plastic material, used for the purpose of carrying or dispensing commodities which have a self-carrying feature but do not include bags that constitute or form an integral part of the packaging in which goods are sealed prior to use.

Each plastic carry bag, plastic packaging and multi-layered packaging shall have the name, registration number of the manufacturer, producer / or brand-owner and thickness in caseof carry bag and plastic packaging used by the brand owner printed clearly.

What rules apply to non -woven plastic carry bag?

The Non-woven plastic carry bag (made up of plastic sheet or web structured fabric of entangled plastic fibers or filaments (and by perforating films) bonded together by mechanical or thermal or chemical means) shall not be less than 60 Gram Per Square Meter (GWM) with effect from 30^th September, 2021.