Nagaland Bans Single-Use Plastics

HT Correspondent

DIMAPUR, April 25: The Nagaland government has banned single-use plastic to eradicate the serious environmental and ecological challenges posed by the rampant use of plastics.

The state government has issued an order in this regard on Monday in partial modification to its notification No.UDD/7-GEN/07/2018 dated 29.11.2018 and 17.06.2019 and in pursuance to the Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules 2021 notified by the Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change on August 12, 2021, in the Gazette of India prohibiting identified single-use plastic items, which have low utility and high littering potential by 2022.

The order said manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale, and use of single-use plastic, including polystyrene and expanded polystyrene, have been prohibited.

It said commodities containing plastic such as earbuds with plastic sticks, plastic sticks for balloons, plastic flags, candy sticks, ice-cream sticks, polystyrene (thermocol) for decoration, plates, cups, glasses, cutlery such as forks, spoons, knives, straws, trays, wrapping or packaging films around sweet boxes, invitation cards, cigarette packets, plastic or poly-vinyl chloride banners less than 100 micron, stirrers have been prohibited.

The government asked all individuals, institutions, commercial establishments, educational institutions, offices, hotels, shops, restaurants, religious institutions and faith-based institutions, industrial establishments, banquet halts, etc. and central and state government departments, agencies, commissions, PSUs, Missions, etc. including military and paramilitary in the state to abide the order. Any breach will be liable for penalties, it said.

The order said the district administration, sub-divisional administration and urban local bodies will decide and levy penalties on the defaulters in their jurisdiction.

A District Task Force already constituted in the respective district will strictly monitor and function as squads for vigilance purposes and ensure the imposition of the ban on stocking, distribution, sale and use of all single-use plastics below the permissible specification and stipulated timelines.

The ban on single-use plastics shall be made effective from the date of publication of this Notification in the Official Gazette in the entire State of Nagaland.