Bhubaneswar: The state government has banned single-use plastic in all urban areas of the state from Gandhi Jayanti Day Wednesday, an official said. The Odisha Forest and Environment Department in a notification issued September 30 said the state government has prohibited the manufacture, sell, trade, import, storing, carrying, transportation and distribution of the single-use plastics, the official said.
The ban will be imposed on polythene carry bags of any shape, thickness and size (excluding compostable), Polyethylene Terephthalate (Pet/Pete) bottles of less than 200 ml capacity, the notification said.
It also banned single-use disposable cutleries made up of thermocol (polystyrene), polyurethane and similar products, of plastic such as dish, spoon, cup, plate, glass, fork, bowl, pouch to store liquid and container of any size and shape except for packing and selling of milk and other ancillary milk products and thermocol decorative materials.
The vendors will not be allowed to use polythene sheets of less than 50-micron thickness for storing, transporting, dispensing or packaging of any article or commodity or food items, consumables, packaging of milk and milk products and edible oil in a sealed manner.
This, however, excludes any plastic carrying and transporting garbage and containers like cup for milk products including curd and ice-creams, polythene packing materials used in healthcare sector like medicines, blood transportation bags, syringes, sample and specimen bags, resalable bags, medical instruments and accessories, the notification said. Forest and Environment department secretary Mona Sharma also asked the officials to avoid use of plastic items in their respective offices and ensure strict compliance of the rule by others in the state.