KOCHI: The government on Friday informed the Kerala High Court that it has banned the use of plastic-coated paper cups in the state. The submission was made on a petition filed by Sprout Private Ltd and others against the use of plastic cups in tea shops and market under the guise of Covid protocol.The government had banned the production, sale and use of single-use plastics from January 2020 and paper cups figured in the list of banned items.
The petitioner alleged that under the guise of following Covid protocol, there was large-scale use of plastic coated paper cups prohibited by the government. The government has given an assurance that this will not be permitted and action will be taken. The petitioner also sought a directive to conduct raids at retail outlets and confiscate the plastic coated cups.