BHUBANESWAR: In another bid to root out single-use plastic from urban areas, the Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) has issued a public notice asking all stakeholders including people not to manufacture, sell and use the banned items and enable the creation of a zero inventory of such products by June 30, 2022.
The pollution watchdog directed the government agencies to intensify enforcement activities and take action against violators under the Environmental Protection Act 1986. The State government imposed total restriction on manufacture, sale, trade, import, storage, transport, use, or distribution of polythene and single-use plastic items such as drinking water packed in polythene terephthalate bottles of less than 200 ml capacity and cutlery made of thermocol, polyurethane or plastic in urban areas of the State since October 2019.
The ban also covers thermocol decorative materials and plastic dishes such as spoon, cup, plate, glass, fork, bowl, containers,s and pouches. Polythene bags of any shapes, sizes and thickness and water pouches have also been banned by the Forest and Environment department.
In addition to this, OSPCB officials said as per the amended Plastic Waste Management (PWM) Rules of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, manufacturing, import, stocking, distribution and selling of polystyrene and expanded polystyrene items will also be prohibited with effect from July 1, 2022.
Products such as earbuds with plastic sticks, plastic sticks for balloons, plastic flags, candy sticks, ice-cream sticks have been included in the banned category. The thickness of carry bags made from virgin or recycled plastic will be increased from not less than 75 microns to 120 microns with effect from December 31, 2022.