New Delhi: Come January 1, 2020, Indian ships will prohibit on board a large number of single-use plastic products, including ice cream containers, hot dish cups, microwave dishes and potato chips bags.
The decision has been taken in larger public interest by the Directorate General of Shipping following an appeal August 15 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ‘take the first big step’ towards freeing India of single-use plastics. These materials will also be banned in foreign ships on Indian waters. The Directorate General of Shipping order will come into effect, January 2, 2020.
Among other items to be banned are plastic bags and trays, food packaging film, milk bottles, freezer bags, shampoo bottles, bottles for water and other drinks, dispensing containers for cleaning fluid and biscuits trays.
Besides, the Directorate has banned use of single-use plastic cutlery, plates and cups, up to 10 litres of bottles for water and other drinks, garbage and shopping bags and dispensing containers for cleaning fluids which are less than 10 litres volume with immediate impact.
It has directed authorities to ‘ensure during surveys, inspection and audit of Indian ships that single-use plastics are not found used/stored on board any Indian ship’ and added that in case of non-compliance and repeated offence it will be a case for detention.
The Directorate General of Shipping has also said that foreign ships intending to enter Indian waters will have to declare single use plastic items on-board and no such items will be discharged at Indian ports.
Quoting international reports it said most common finds during international coastal cleanups are, in order of magnitude – cigarette butts, plastic beverage bottles, plastic bottle caps, food wrappers, plastic grocery bags, plastic lids, straw and stirrer, glass beverage bottles and other kind of plastic bags.
The Directorate general of Shipping said single-use throw-away plastics contaminate soil, river and water-bodies with irreparable damage.
According to International Maritime Organisation (IMO), marine litter presents a huge problem in oceans with some scientists warning that by 2050, the quantity of plastics in the oceans will outweigh the fishes.
PTI