Indian Laws on Plastic Use: Use of Plastic in India Is Illegal

The indiscriminate use of plastic bags poses huge threat to the environment and poses serious health hazards for life on the earth. The main problems with plastic bags are they are non-biodegradable, they choke drains and sewers, and when burnt, they emit poisonous gases. Plastic bags form a major part of Delhi’s garbage heaps, most of which are disposed off into the Yamuna.

Indian laws on plastic use notwithstanding, approximately 1.2 million tons of plastic are recycled in Delhi per year, 90 percent of which is recycled illegally.

Indian Laws on Plastic Use: Using Plastic Bags is Criminal Offence 

The government has put a complete ban on the use of any type of plastic. The Indian laws on plastic use are covered under the Environment Protection Act, 1986, which has provisions for punishing the offender with five years of imprisonment or fine up to Rs.1 lakh or both.

 The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) has been empowered to implement the ban and register complaint against violators. A special inspection team has been formed by the DPCC, which will initiate punishment.

However, with Delhi’s 16 million population, the ban cannot be implemented overnight. With no particular deadline to enforce the ban, the Indian law on plastic use will be enforced lightly in the beginning. This allows people sufficient time to quit the use of plastic bags and opt for substitutes such as jute or paper bags.

The first targets of DPCC are illegal recycling units. The officials, however, are facing difficulty in keeping check on these illegal recycling units, as DPCC does not have adequate manpower to undertake the operation.