Thiruvananthapuram/Palakkad: The Kerala government has issued a notification on the ban of single-use plastic from January 1, 2020 in tune with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement on the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. However, three sectors have been exempted from the ban. The industries department has been tasked with finding alternatives for the banned plastic products.
The ban exemption is for plastic products and equipment used in medical sector, plastic bags for export purposes as well as products made of compostable or biodegradable plastic.
Heavy fines
Those who flout the rules for the first time would have to pay a fine of Rs 10,000. If the offence is repeated, the guilty would have to pay Rs 25,000 and if repeated again, he or she would have to pay Rs 50,000.
The Beverages corporation, KeraFed, Milma, and the Kerala Water Authority would have to buy-back used plastic bottles and covers.
A cabinet meet chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had last week decided to ban the manufacture, sale and storage of the single-use plastic items. The responsibility for strictly implementing the ban is on the district collector, sub-divisional magistrate, officers of the Pollution Control Board and secretaries of the local bodies.
The industrial parks should allot five per cent of the land for waste treatment and disposal. The notification also said that the land for setting up the system for treating waste should be given at nominal cost.
Compostable plastic
Compostable plastic is manufactured using the protein component in natural products such as wheat and corn. This is at times used an alternative for flex. However, the government order stipulates that only the compostable plastic products manufactured by the companies recognised by the Central Pollution Control Board should be used. The notification also said that that the industrial department should encourage those units manufacturing bio-degradable bags as an alternative for plastic.
