Plastic and wax lined paper should also be banned, say environmentalists

The country-wide rules mandate a ban from July 1 on manufacturing, import, stocking, distribution, sale, and use of single-use plastic items – an industry that is worth Rs 10,000 crore.
Yellow paper cups
Yellow paper cups
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The consistent cry against the use of single-use plastic has turned many citizens to consciously adopt paper packaging and cutlery. The ban of single-use plastic from July 1 across the country has also now left the food service industry to move to paper based packaging as well. But there is a little known fact that this paper used for food packaging is not as sustainable as believed. Environmentalists say that cutlery made from paper is not nearly as eco-friendly as believed, as it has a wax coating on the paper. Sandeep Anirudhan, an environmentalist based in Bengaluru, says that it is both an ecological and health hazard and calls it a significant loophole in the law that permits the production of fused plastic. 

The Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change notified the Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021, in August last year. The rules mandate a ban from July 1 on manufacturing, import, stocking, distribution, sale, and use of single-use plastic items – an industry that is worth Rs 10,000 crore. The single-use plastic ban has now come into effect and environmentalists have flagged the loopholes of this particular legislation. “The plastic and wax are fused in the food while using paper cups, and because of this, they cannot be recycled,” says Sandeep Anirudhan, explaining the lack of awareness about health risks that are associated with the use of paper cups. Furthermore, Radhika Srinivasan, a local environmentalist, says that items with fused plastic linings are prohibited from use as well. But since paper cups are not on the list of banned items, they are in use despite their plastic lining.

This law offers no recourse or alternative to business owners who deal with the manufacturing and production of single-use plastic. Ravindra, a former employee of a plastic-producing company is currently unemployed after the company he worked for closed down. Speaking to TNM, he says that while there is a need to ban single-use plastic, employees and business owners need alternatives as well. “I am looking for a new job, and there are many like me who have been affected by the ban. The government should make sure we aren’t collateral damage in the process of this ban, because we do not have any recourse,” he explains.

BBMP officials have had trouble enforcing the ban since a lot of manufacturers get away with their products being labelled as biodegradable and consider themselves exempt from the ban. Suhani, a student who volunteers with local NGOs stated that legislators and lawmakers need to work closely with environmental experts before putting a law into action, as it can avoid a lot of misgivings such as these. “These laws, although well-meaning, are not nearly as well-planned.  Are environmentalists consulted? Are the woes of the average worker affected by this decision, considered? If yes, what measures are taken to ensure they do not suffer in the process? Are we factoring in welfare schemes for small business owners and their employees? These are questions that remain unanswered and as a result, public consensus is lost in translation, it is all very concerning,” says Suhani.

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