Single-Use Plastic Ban: Delhi Plans Survey To Quantify Plastic Waste Generation, Identify Hotspots

The Delhi government will conduct a survey of a number of places in the city to identify littering hotspots and quantify plastic waste generation as it inches close to its June 30 deadline for phasing out of 19 single-use plastic items. The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) has invited bids from agencies to conduct the survey, and the tender will be opened on April 11, according to official documents. The survey will cover all 11 districts in Delhi and will have to be completed within four months from the date of signing of contract, an official said. “The objective is to identify and quantify plastic waste generation in Delhi by adopting the approach and methodology devised by the Central Pollution Control Board under the guidelines for plastic waste inventorisation and accordingly take measures to phase out single-use plastics,” the tender document read.

The agency will be tasked with surveying all renowned, major commercial establishments, malls, market places, shopping centres, cinema houses, restaurants, tourist locations, places of worship, colleges, schools, office complexes, hospitals, and other institutions. It will have to prepare an inventory of stockists, retailers, sellers, street vendors, vegetable and fruit markets and importers dealing in bulk in single-use plastic (SUP) items. The agency will have to conduct district-wise mapping of generation, collection, and processing of plastic waste, and identify producers engaged in the production of banned SUP items in the informal sector.

In August last year, the Union Environment Ministry had issued a notification saying the manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of identified single-use plastic commodities, including polystyrene and expanded polystyrene, will be prohibited with effect from July 1, 2022. The identified SUP items include ear buds, plastic sticks for balloons, flags, candy sticks, ice-cream sticks, polystyrene (thermocol), plates, cups, glasses, forks, spoons, knives, straws, trays, wrapping or packaging films around sweets boxes, invitation cards, cigarette packets, plastic or PVC banners less than 100 micron, and stirrers. All manufacturers, retailers, general public, and shopkeepers have already been asked not to keep any stock of single-use plastic by June 30, 2022. The DPCC has also asked all manufacturers of raw materials to stop supplying plastic items to those engaged in use of banned SUP products. 

PTI INPUTS