Nagaland enforces single-use plastic ban on items such as plastic bags, plates and forks; heavy penalties in store

India's struggle with single-use plastics is a story time immemorial. From the packet snuggling our corner bakery items to plates from streetside food stalls, we intentionally or unintentionally indulge in a vast amount of plastic waste daily.

To curb this issue and help the planet, India has attempted to place a plastic ban on the country many times, the most notable one being in 2022, which added more items to the list of single-use plastics (SUPs) with "low utility and high littering potential".

Most recently, the Nagaland government issued a directive of their own banning SUPs in the state to tackle the environmental and ecological problems created by the polymer evil.

This includes the manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, and sale of any type of plastic bags (virgin or modified), irrespective of the material thickness. In addition, decoration thermocol, sticks, flags, candy sticks and ice-cream sticks made out of plastic have also been prohibited.

Even plates, cups, glasses, forks, knives and the packing film around invitation cards, sweet boxes and cigarette boxes less than 100 microns have been banned. Any individual or establishment breaching this rule would be penalised heavily, the government remarked.

Cities like Bengaluru have definitely seen a notable downtick in the availability of such SUPs since the ban, other states continue to take steps to address such issues. To enforce these crucial steps and prevent more metros from turning into Delhi-like gas chambers, more regular checks are paramount.