India will ban the manufacture, import, distribution and sale of single-use plastic items from July 1, the government said on Wednesday while going ahead with its plans.
Items to be banned include plastic sticks, plastic sticks for balloons, plastic flags, candy sticks, ice cream sticks, polystyrene decorations, plastic plates, cups, glasses, cutlery, straws, trays, Wrapping or packing film included. Around sweets cans, cigarette packets and stirrers.
Dabur India has started production of Real Juice Pack with Integrated Paper Straw. As a result, fresh stock will now be accompanied by paper straws, the company said. Shahrukh Khan, Executive Director (Operations), Dabur India said, “We are committed to meet the norms and ensure that all packs come with integrated paper straws.”
Beverage maker Parle Agro, which owns brands like Frooti and Appi Fizz, has started importing paper straws in compliance with India’s new regulations. However, the import remains “staggered”. India has a bottleneck when it comes to manufacturing paper straws, and as a result, companies are dependent on imports to meet the demand.
“Our shipments of paper straws are coming in a staggering manner due to the huge demand. Nevertheless, we are working on a program to smoothly transition from plastic straws to biodegradable straws and have no plans to close any factories in the process. Shauna Chauhan, Chief Executive Officer, Parle Agro said, all factories will be operational. “As part of our transition to biodegradable straws, we will start using paper straws and then move to PLA-based (bioplastic) straws. This will start once all of our business partners have all the machinery to manufacture PLA straws. It’s done, which will take a few months.” Parle Agro has given a memorandum to the government demanding extension of the time limit.
On Tuesday, Mint reported that the environment ministry set up a task force across all states and union territories to investigate the illegal manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of banned single-use plastic items.
Several companies sought an extension on the ban, citing supply disruptions and the cost of switching to paper straws.
Praveen Agarwal, chief executive officer of Action Alliance for Recycling Beverage Cartons, an industry body, said the ban would temporarily disrupt supply in the market. “There are no immediate solutions available, and if paper straws were so readily available, we wouldn’t have waited so long.”
Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd, which sells Amul-branded products, said the company is “ready” but importing straw is taking time. Amul makes significant sales from small tetra packs of buttermilk and milkshakes. “We’ve already placed orders; some straws have been arriving since mid-July. The government has allowed the use of biodegradable straws, and they’re reasonably priced and available locally. Paper straws are far more valuable, but We will take effect temporarily,” said RS Sodhi, managing director of Amul Federation, Dr.
Meanwhile, independent restaurants, along with companies such as Indigo Deli, Light Bite Foods, Cafe Delhi Heights, The Beer Cafe and Ophelia, are preparing to ban single-use plastics, eliminating plastic from food delivery and service. are. Over the years many people have worked towards the goal.
Vikrant Batra, co-founder of Cafe Delhi Heights, which has around 21 outlets in the National Capital Region, said the company is working towards becoming more eco-friendly. “We are using paper cups, glasses, carry bags, containers for takeaways, paper-based straws, butter paper envelopes, wooden baskets, paper-based burgers and cake boxes. The cost is rising, but it is a very small contribution to society.”
Anurag Katiyar, Founder, Indigo Hospitality said that most of the restaurant companies are charging packaging charges for the delivery. This includes the additional cost of switching from plastic to paper. “All of our packaging is compliant, including paper packaging without plastic films,” he said.
Ophelia, a high-end restaurant in Delhi, uses bamboo based straws and jute bags for delivery.
Rahul Singh, founder of The Beer Cafe, said the chain started eliminating plastic products from straws and stirrers two years ago. “We have also moved to packing it in paper carry bags and using aluminum bowl containers for food packaging for takeaway and delivery,” Singh said.