Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai has written to the Centre, requesting it to authorise more laboratories to test compostable products, which are alternatives to single-use plastic, to facilitate startups.
In a letter to Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, Rai said that discussions with stakeholders at the Plastic Vikalp Mela at Thyagaraj Stadium revealed that manufacturers of compostable products need to get those tested by the Central Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering and Technology (CIPET) laboratory before obtaining a certificate from Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
Since CIPET is the only laboratory in the country to carry out such tests, the manufacturers have to wait for almost six months and also have to pay a hefty amount of around Rs 4 lakh to 5 lakh, he said
With more testing laboratories, manufacturers of alternatives to single-use plastic can get the certification at affordable rates and in a reasonable time, Rai said.
"Doing so will motivate the manufacturers to move more towards single-use plastic alternatives and also facilitate better implementation of the single-use plastic ban on the ground," the Delhi environment minister said in the letter.
He also urged the government to encourage new businesses and entrepreneurs that provide alternatives to single-use plastics to eliminate the supply of the 19 banned single-use plastic items.
