Bengaluru: Lack of clarity on banning of plastic forks and plastic containers

BENGALURU: BBMP officials who were actively enforcing the plastic ban have hit a roadblock after some business establishments raised doubts over the applicability of the ban for certain articles.

Health officers and inspectors of every zone have been actively seizing shopping bags, covers, sheets, plastic cups and plates among others.

The March 11 gazette notification that brought in the ban was meant to be com meant to be comprehensive. The list of banned articles include plastic items in everyday use: such as carry bags, banners, buntings, flex, flags, plates, plastic plates, cups, spoons, cling film and table covers.

There are, however, a host of other disposable plastic materials being used -such as plastic forks, flimsy plastic containers -whose seizure is being challenged.

“People are asking for clarity on whether plastic straws, stirrers and paper cups coated with plastic, which are not mentioned in the notification, are banned,“ said Sarfaraz Khan, Joint Commissioner (Health and Solid Waste Management), BBMP .

In the BBMP East Zone, for instance, enforcement efforts have more or less taken a break. Joint Commissioner KC Yathish Kumar said, “There are arguments that articles which are not clearly laid down in the notification are allowed.“

And the health department, he revealed, awaits the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board, which is the competent authority , to clarify the list . KSPCB chairman Lakshman said that the committee that was formed to look into the matter is likely to come up with the clarifications and amendments by the end of the month.

“Until then,“ he said, “enforcement will continue for seizing materials that are mentioned in the notification.“

However, in other zones, such as Mahadevapura, officers are carrying on unaffected. According to JC Umanand Rai, checks are happening every day .

Deputy Health Officer of the zone, Dr Kalpana, said, “We are enforcing the ban as we understand it.That is, all plastic, except what's clearly mentioned as exempted, are banned.“ This makes the use of non-woven (poplypropylene) bags that are now widely used illegal and the officials are seizing them.

“When we know something is plastic, if we cannot seize it, what is the purpose of a ban?“ she asked, adding that waiting for an official clarification and halting the enforcement could undo all the hard work.

The resistance from businesses is largely attributed to the lack of substitutes.