Delhi Secretariat to ban single-use plastic items from June 1: Gopal Rai

Single-use plastic items will be banned in the Delhi Secretariat from June 1, a month before the nationwide ban on SUP comes into force, Environment Minister Gopal Rai said on Saturday.

It will be ensured that only alternatives to SUP items such as paper plates, cups, straws are used in the Delhi Secretariat premises, he said.

Staff will be asked to avoid SUP water bottles and use kulhads, stainless steel glasses or paper cups to drink water, the minister said.

In August last year, the Union environment ministry had issued a notification prohibiting manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of identified SUP commodities, including polystyrene and expanded polystyrene from July 1, 2022.

The identified SUP items include earbuds, plastic sticks for balloons, flags, candy sticks, ice cream sticks, polystyrene (thermocol), plates, cups, glasses, forks, spoons, knives, straws, trays, wrapping or packaging films around sweets boxes, invitation cards, cigarette packets, plastic or PVC banners less than 100 micron, and stirrers.

All manufacturers, retailers, general public, and shopkeepers in Delhi have already been asked not to keep any stock of single-use plastics by June 30, 2022.

The Delhi Pollution Control Committee has also asked all manufacturers of raw materials to stop supplying plastic items to those engaged in the use of banned SUP products.

It is also carrying out a survey to identify littering hotspots and quantify plastic waste generation in the city.

The Delhi government had last year constituted a state-level task force for the elimination of SUP and effective implementation of Plastic Waste Management Amended Rules, 2021.