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<ul><li>The Indian environment ministry issued a letter to states and union territories informing them that there is no imminent ban on single-use plastics. </li><li>It also clarified that the ban would not affect multi-layered packaging, normally used for food and beverages. </li><li>The document shared by ministry outlines action points to achieve the goal of eliminating single-use plastic by 2022. </li></ul>Companies in India were anxious about the government implementing a nation-wide ban on plastic but it seems there are no plans to announce any such restrictions — for now. The environment ministry issued a document to states and union territories (UTs) clarifying that there is no ban on single-use plastics but that the country is still planning on eliminating their use by 2022, according to <a href="https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/plastic-curbs-to-spare-multi-layered-packaging/cid/1709407">The Telegraph</a>, "There is now a need to take it (the awareness) to a new level and ensure that by 2022, we eliminate single-use plastic from our society," stated Environment Secretary Chandra Kishore Mishra in the letter. The ministry outlines that states need to implement legislative interventions and behavioural changes to wean people away from consuming <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/In-some-countries-people-face-jail-time-for-using-plastic-bags-Here-are-all-the-places-that-have-banned-plastic-bags-and-straws-so-far-/articleshow/68712914.cms">single-use plastics</a>. Prime Minister’s Narendra Modi’s call to action during India’s 73rd <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/topic/Independence-day">Independence Day</a> had businesses in India worried about the potential economic impact. If such a ban were to be implemented, it would affect <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/environment/news/here-are-all-the-things-you-wont-be-able-to-use-after-india-bans-single-use-plastics/articleshow/71375802.cms">everyday items</a> like plastic cups and plastic plates at food stalls, packaging on biscuits and sodas, and small bottles. Food and beverages are safe The environment ministry also clarified that any planned guidelines to curb the consumption of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=single+use+plastic&amp;sortorder=score&amp;curpg=1">single-use plastic</a>s will not apply to multi-layered plastic packaging, which is commonly used to package products like food and beverages. During the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/indian-pm-endorses-iit-camera-to-catch-inattentive-mps-in-parliament/articleshow/71376832.cms">Singapore-India Hackathon</a> at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) on 30 September 2019, Modi clarified that he was exclusively campaigning against single-use plastic and not a plastic-free india. "Some people, by mistake, are talking about plastic-free India. I have not said this. I have said that single-use plastic, which comes to use only once, causes a lot of problems," explained Modi. The environment ministry pointed out that only <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/which-states-in-india-have-banned-plastic/articleshow/70218756.cms">five states</a> — Maharashtra, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh — currently have legislation in place to regulate plastic waste. It has asked other states to plan on introduce restrictions on plastic use to curate a list of products that they plan to on restricting. It also clarified that there may not be a requirement to ban plastic bottles, like the ones used for packaging water and sodas, and that the focus should be on making sure the bottles are recyclable and can be reprocessed. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/ecommerce/article/amazon-flipkart-and-bigbasket-are-racing-to-eliminate-single-use-plastic-from-their-supply-chain/articleshow/71402437.cms">Big Basket ahead of e-commerce giants Amazon and Flipkart in eliminating single use plastics</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/environment/news/here-are-all-the-things-you-wont-be-able-to-use-after-india-bans-single-use-plastics/articleshow/71375802.cms">Here are all the things you won't be able to use after India bans single-use plastics</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/mount-everest-will-turn-into-a-plastic-free-zone-by-2020-as-nepal-bans-it/articleshow/70780916.cms">Mount Everest will turn into a plastic-free zone by 2020 as Nepal bans it</a>

India won’t be banning plastic — for now

<ul><li>E-commerce platforms like Amazon, Flipkart and BigBasket are racing to eliminate single use plastic from their packaging.</li><li>BigBasket is ahead of the curve as it replaced plastic packaging with paper bags completely three years ago. </li><li>Amazon India plans eliminate single use plastic by June 2020 and Flipkart is aiming for March 2021.</li></ul>Global e-commerce giants, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=amazon+india&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Amazon</a> and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=flipkart&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Flipkart</a>, aim to phase out single-use plastics from their packaging over the next two years. But, homegrown online grocery delivery platform BigBasket has been frugal in its use of plastic since its launched in 2011. "To a large extent we have reduced plastic to a large extent right from before. It’s not recent," Pooja Ravishankar, head of category marketing at BigBasket told Business Insider. For the past three to four years, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=bigbasket&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">BigBasket</a> has stopped using plastic entirely to deliver fruits and vegetables to its customers. "All our fruits and vegetables come in a paper bag," said Ravishankar. Amazon India, on the other hand, plans to eliminate all plastic packaging and replace it with paper cushions by June 2020. Walmart-owned <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/flipkart-and-air-india-become-the-first-in-their-sectors-to-begin-the-fight-against-plastic/articleshow/70894061.cms">Flipkart</a>’s plan is to use 100% recycled plastic in their supply chain by March 2021. The company claims that it has been able to reduce its <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=single+use+plastic&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">single use plastic</a> consumption by 25% as on 1 August, 2019. Flipkart stated that it plans to replace poly pouches with recycled paper bags and bubble wrap with carton waste shredded material. Challenges of making the transition from plastic to paper When BigBasket made the switch from plastic bags to paper bags for their fruits and vegetables, their primary concern was that they might lose customers as a result. "We were very worried because plastic gives you that transparency and vegetables look a lot nicer in plastic. Paper is opaque, and customers can’t see them. It’s a very touch-and-feel category," said Ravishankar. Despite the apprehension, BigBasket did not lose customers. They went ahead and switched other grocery categories to paper packaging as well and their bills are printed on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=recycled+paper&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">recycled paper</a>. "We want to reduce the packaging on fruits and vegetables as well. At the end of the day, paper packaging means trees are being cut down. Eventually we would want to move onto the thela (cloth bag) system," explained Ravishankar. Eliminating packaging altogether But, there’s still one challenge that remains — staples. Due to their weight and quantities, BigBasket still has to use plastic to deliver things like atta (flour) and dal (pulses). The company is mulling over shifting to recycle plastic to solve the conundrum "One of the dreams that we have is that we want to get rid of packaging completely. It’s a vision for us," stated Ravishankar. India has plans to implement a country-wide ban on single use plastic on with Prime Minister Narendra Modi expected to announce new guidelines today, 2 October 2019. During India’s 73rd <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/topic/Independence-day">Independence Day</a>, Modi emphasised immediate measures that could put in place to eradicate non-recyclable plastic. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/flipkart-and-air-india-become-the-first-in-their-sectors-to-begin-the-fight-against-plastic/articleshow/70894061.cms">Flipkart and Air India become the first in their sectors to begin the fight against plastic</a>

Big Basket ahead of e-commerce giants Amazon and Flipkart in eliminating single use plastics

<ul><li>We are drinking, eating, and breathing tiny plastics every day. </li><li>Tiny <keyword id="34567" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="plastic">plastic</keyword> particles known as <keyword id="1501683" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="microplastics">microplastics</keyword> are everywhere – including in our drinking-water. </li><li>According to WWF, an average person eats 100,000 microplastics in a year. </li></ul>You’re literally eating 5 gram of plastic in a week — that’s equivalent to the size of a credit card, <a href="https://yourplasticdiet.org">says WWF</a>. Nobody can avoid plastic, it is present in almost all the products we use everyday from toys, electronics, shampoo, cosmetics and countless, even in the food we eat and water we drink. According to WWF, an average person eats 100,000 microplastics in a year. ‘We are drinking, eating, and breathing tiny plastics every day’ UN s<a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/08/1044661">cientists say </a>marine settings, freshwater, food, water and air consists microplastics. Yet, we are unaware of it affects us, as there is little information available on the effect of <keyword id="6489736" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="microplastic">microplastic</keyword>s. As of now, experts believe that microplastic in drinking water poses 'low risk' to humans. They can pass through the body without getting absorbed. "Tiny plastic particles known as microplastics are everywhere – including in our drinking-water but they are not necessarily a risk to human health," <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/microplastic-who-study/">said UN experts said on July 22.</a> UN has <a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/08/1044661">urged further investigation</a> into the matter. Humans produced as much as 400 million tons of plastic in 2015. And, the amounts are only rising annually. <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/microplastic-who-study/">Experts </a>estimate that plastic production will double by 2025, <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/microplastic-who-study/">reported Wired</a>. Globally, people dump 8 million tons of plastic into the oceans and researchers aren't able to trace the 99% of it. As the researchers <a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/08/1044661">dig deeper into the matte</a>r of microplastics, we continue to eat, drink and breathe it. See more: 
 
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Here's how much plastic people end up eating everyday

Single use plastic items and or disposable plastic materials have become the most common packaging solutions over the last few decades. Since these are among the major pollutants threatening the health of the environment, the world is realizing the importance of bringing down this generation’s dependency on disposable plastic materials. Ban on plastic is one of the most important topics during conferences and conventions on environment. India is one of the leaders in the international scene in implementing a ban on plastic. Here are a few states in India that have implemented ban on plastic in full force. <keyword id="20154" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="tamil-nadu">Tamil Nadu</keyword> The government of Tamil Nadu banned single-use plastic with effect from January 1, 2019. This move left the hotel industry face bewilderment as they are seriously scrambling for suitable alternatives to pack foods. The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) introduced some measures to comply with the ban including displaying the details about the ban on plastic, announcing plastic-free zones, stopping the usage of plastic items in offices, meetings, parties and canteens and utilizing the Corporate Social Responsibility funds to support initiatives on the ban on plastic and also to spread the awareness about the ban on plastic. <keyword id="13126" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Maharashtra">Maharashtra</keyword> By announcing the ban on plastic very early on March 23, 2018, Maharashtra pioneered the ban on plastic among all the states in India. The state implemented a ban on all kinds of single use plastics and thermocol (polystyrene) including disposable items used for a single time and plastics used for food packaging in hotels in addition to plastics used for packing fresh foods and grains. In an amendment, the state allowed the use of PET bottles on April 11, 2018. However this permit carried a rider that demanded the implementation of buy back depository mechanism and recycling of the disposed plastics by the manufacturers. Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh is yet another state in India that has strictly banned the production and use of single use plastics. The ban on plastic notification was issued in Himachal Pradesh on July 6, 2018. The state implemented a ban on all kinds of disposable plastics and single-use non-biodegradable materials in the state. Due to the strict supervision of the implementation of the said ban, some important cities like Shimla for example were found free of disposable polybags, cups and tumblers. <keyword id="68884" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Telangana">Telangana</keyword> The ban on plastic by the Telangana state was announced on June 14, 2018. The ban included plastics used in drinking bottles, tetra bottles, single-use straws, Styrofoam tea cups and containers, plastics that are below 50 micron thickness and other kinds of single use plastics. Talking on the ban, a social activist Ramanjaneyulu GV said, "The usage has definitely come down but all the plastic stuff is still there. But people themselves are now reluctant to use them because of environmental concerns." Take Home Uttar Predesh, Sikkim, Karnataka, Bihar <keyword id="37102" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Andhra-Pradesh">Andhra Pradesh</keyword>, Assam, <keyword id="6355772" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="meghalaya">Meghalaya</keyword> and some other states also followed suit announcing a ban on single use plastics. All these moves aim at phasing out the single-use plastics by the year 2022. However, the objective can succeed only when the ban is implemented in entirety.

Which States In India Have Banned Plastic

This World Environment Day the United Nations had only one directive - reject single-use plastic. Hosted by <keyword id="3658" type="COUNTRY" weightage="20" keywordseo="India">India</keyword>, the internet was in an uproar to #BeatPlasticPollution and to reduce humanity’s over-reliance on disposable plastic. It may be the need of the hour, but there’s a sizable economic cost attached to it as well that seems to be getting sidelined in the name of environment preservation. Banning plastic is definitely a boon for the environment. For starters, it reduces the amount of non-biodegradable litter that clogs up storm drains and piles up in landfills. Even the ocean has islands that are made of solid waste that consist mostly of plastic garbage. Indirectly, since disposable plastics are derived from crude oil refining, when their manufacturing reduces, it also reduces the contribution of polypropylene to climate change. But then, there’s flip-side to a ban. Businesses that manufacture disposable plastic, firms using plastics for packaging and even the consumer - all have to bear the cost. The burden of a ban isn’t just limited to the plastics industry. Horizontal and vertical dependants like the petroleum industry, food delivery outlets and even the road-side juice vendor will feel the impact. In India, Sikkim was the first state to implement a ban on plastic bags in 1996. It was also one of the first states to apply a ban on single-use plastics. The state’s been fairly successful in its implementation considering that there’s a very limited space for garbage dumps within their territory. But then again, that’s not always the case. States like Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh that have significant plastic waste generation have only been marginally successful in implementing partial bans. Taking the most recent case of the <keyword id="6360810" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Plastic-ban">plastic ban</keyword> in <keyword id="13126" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Maharashtra">Maharashtra</keyword>, the All India Plastics Manufacturers’ Association (AIPLMA) claims that while this initiative may help the environment, it will also result in a <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/plastic-ban-india-stares-at-loss-of-rs-15000-crore-3-lakh-jobs/articleshow/64721810.cms">loss of up to ₹15 billion</a> ($220 million) and nearly 300,000 jobs. The snowball effect One assumes that the direct effect of banning plastic use is that plastic wastage decreases, but the reality is broader than that. Plastics is an industry of its own that makes a significant contribution to key sectors in India like textiles and healthcare. That being said, one sector that will be hit the hardest by the plastic ban is the packaging sector. 
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 1. <keyword id="6369865" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="job-loss">Job loss</keyword> So, it’s a fairly straightforward correlation that when there’s unemployment in one sector then the supply of labour will increase. In this case, it will affect polymer manufacturers, plastic processors and recycling players. Especially those that work in extrusion, which would include the manufacture of plastic bags and blow moulding which is how bottles and containers are made. It should be noted that the plastics industry is highly labour intensive and largely unorganised. In Maharashtra, specifically, AIPMA <a href="https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/policy/plastic-ban-may-shave-800-cr-off-maharashtras-gst-revenues-says-lobby/article23375711.ece">claims</a> that the ban will result in the shut down of 2,150 industrial units. In India, there’s already a surplus of low wage labourers, which will be further impacted by such a move. The extent of the impact will be determined by the skill set and specialisation that distills into the market. 2. Gross Domestic Product (<keyword id="35050" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="gdp">GDP</keyword>) will be affected As of 2017, the Indian plastic industry <a href="http://www.plastindia.org/pdf/indian-plastics-industry-report2014.pdf">contributes</a> around 7.1% to the country’s GDP. It’s also complementary to the petrochemical industry that works in tandem. But, the ban itself hits the ‘end user market’ where plastic products are primarily used for domestic purposes. Additionally, the packaging industry is one of the key drivers of demand for plastics. It’s one the fastest growing industries with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15% over the last five years. It has received major impetus from retail growth, changes in lifestyle, and growth of smaller packaging. The implementation of a strict ban would be a fairly large obstacle for the plastics industry to compensate. In Maharashtra itself, the plastics industry is fairly big. In fact, plastics <a href="https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/policy/plastic-ban-may-shave-800-cr-off-maharashtras-gst-revenues-says-lobby/article23375711.ece">contribute</a> to around 35% of the state’s GDP with a turnover of ₹50,000 crore. It’s also one of the reasons why the state contributes to nearly <a href="http://cpcb.nic.in/displaypdf.php?id=cGxhc3RpY3dhc3RlL0FubnVhbF9SZXBvcnRfMjAxNS0xNl9QV00ucGRm">one-third</a> of India’s plastic waste. Placing a ban on plastic use will retract the demand for plastics overall, thus leading to decreased sales and decreased revenue. As a result, whatever stocks of single-use plastics are left with manufacturers of plastic products, and companies that use them, will basically be a sunk cost after 23 June, as per the <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/articles/maharashtra-extends-deadline-for-disposal-of-existing-plastic-stock-to-3-months/19313179">government directive</a>. AIPMA estimates that the banned products would results in a loss of up to ₹15 billion. 3. <keyword id="142154" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="bad-loans">Bad loans</keyword> in the banking sector will increase As the demand for plastics falls, assuming the ban is implemented effectively, a lot of micro, small and medium units (<a href="http://www.freepressjournal.in/mumbai/plastic-ban-chokes-maharashtras-msme-industriy/1246368">MSMEs</a>) in the plastics industry, could default on loans and the proportion of bad loans could increase. This is especially true as one analyses the <a href="http://www.freepressjournal.in/mumbai/plastic-ban-chokes-maharashtras-msme-industriy/1246368">downstream supply chain</a> of plastics. While polymer manufacturing is dominated by large industrial groups, plastic processors and recycling players are largely MSMEs. 4. Fines on small and micro retailers will affect their P&amp;L statements As with any new law or directive, there’s an implementation curve. There will always be a few defaulters who won’t comply immediately, and the heavy fines could send their <a href="http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/mumbai/retailers-to-move-hc-to-exempt-pp-bags-from-ban/article24213766.ece">profit and loss</a> (P&amp;L) statements for a spin. Large corporations won’t feel the pinch of a ₹5,000, ₹10,000 or ₹25,000 fine, but <a href="https://localpress.co.in/2018/03/plastic-ban-maharashtra-developments-ban-till-date/">roadside vendors, food vendors and delivery kitchens</a> have to be wary. Some vendors have reported that they’ve had to temporarily stall their services as they come up alternative methods of packaging. 5. Cost of going green to consumers More than the plastics sector, industries that depend on plastic for packaging will have to find alternative green methods of presenting their commodities in the market. Nonetheless, there’s <a href="http://ladpw.org/epd/aboutthebag/PDF/SocioEconomicImpactStudy_final.pdf">evidence</a> to support the fact that firms generally pass on this cost onto their consumers where they can purchase a paper/reusable bag at nominal rates. There’s the crux of the issue. More than the repercussions of the plastic ban, what matters is how the ban is embraced by the public. The use of paper bags is only effective if they are reused, otherwise the problem shifts from <keyword id="1820144" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="plastic-pollution">plastic pollution</keyword> to deforestation. And, if climate change is the primary concern, banning plastics might not even necessarily be the right solution.

Banning plastics is necessary, but here’s what that might cost India

<ul><li>The government of India may ban six single-use plastic items on October 2. </li><li>Several state governments including Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh already banned plastic products, with fines.</li></ul><ul><li>Here's the list of all the items that you won't be able to use after India bans single-use plastic. </li></ul>The Indian government is likely to put a <a href="https://in.reuters.com/article/us-india-pollution-plastic-exclusive/exclusive-india-set-to-outlaw-six-single-use-plastic-products-on-october-2-sources-idINKCN1VI19F">blanket ban of six single-use plastic items</a> in a bid to reduce annual plastic consumption by 5-10%. The government will reportedly provide six months time for people to adapt to alternatives, before imposing a fine. Earlier, the P M Narendra Modi pledged to omit the use of <keyword id="6570438" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="single-use-plastic">single use plastic</keyword> by 2022 and urged e-commerce giants and big businesses to curb their use. What is Single-use plastic and why the government is banning it? Any plastic items which we will throw away or recycle after using it once comes under the single-use plastics. They include popular items like carrying bags, bottle caps, sachets, wrappers, food packets etc. What is the punishment for breaching the law? Several state governments including Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh already banned plastic products, with fines. Maharashtra government levied a fine of ₹5,00 for first-time offenders, ₹10,000 for the second offense and a penalty of ₹25,000 with three-month jail for the third. States like Punjab imposed punishments that include five-year term prison with ₹1 lakh fine or both, for breaching the law. Here's a list of items that you won't be able to use if the government bans single-use plastic Plastic carry bags 
 
 
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 Plastic cups 
 
 
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 Plastic plates 
 
 
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 Small bottles 
 
 
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 Straws 
 
 
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 Plastic sachets 
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Here are all the things you won't be able to use after India bans single-use plastics

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A few states and some countries are passing laws to combat plastic waste.</li><li><keyword id="11892889" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="california" source="Orion">California</keyword> is the fourth US state that will make companies pay for packaging waste.</li></ul>The first half of 2022 has seen a wave of new policies cracking down on <keyword id="12318689" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="plastic-pollution" source="Orion">plastic pollution</keyword> in the US and countries like <keyword id="6356687" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="canada" source="Orion">Canada</keyword> and <keyword id="11892747" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword>. In recent weeks, California became the fourth state that will force companies to pay for cleaning up packaging waste, while Canada and India have banned the production and import of certain <keyword id="14446315" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="single-use-plastic" source="Orion">single-use plastic</keyword> products. Advocates say the momentum feels like a turning point in the global fight to eliminate the eight million metric tons of plastic waste <a href="https://www.unep.org/interactives/beat-plastic-pollution/">that flows into oceans each year</a>. According to the United Nations, this is the equivalent of dumping a garbage truck every minute. The vast majority of plastic never gets recycled and ends up in landfills, in incinerators, or as litter on land and in waterways. The US <a href="https://nap.nationalacademies.org/read/26132/chapter/1">is the world's largest contributor</a> to the problem despite representing <a href="https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/us-population/">less than 5% of the global population</a>."The public is increasingly making the connection between plastic and so many other issues, which is expanding the coalition of groups and individuals who care deeply about this," Anja Brandon, a US plastics-policy analyst at the nonprofit Ocean Conservancy, said. "That, in turn, is expanding the number of policymakers who recognize plastic pollution as critically important." Brandon said those connections include how plastic is made from the fossil fuels that drive the climate crisis. Local governments in the US often build plastic-manufacturing plants, landfills, and incinerators <a href="https://blogs.newschool.edu/news/2022/05/tishman-environment-and-design-centers-work-reveals-most-incinerators-pollute-low-income-and-communities-of-color-and-worsen-climate-change/">in marginalized communities</a>, which then disproportionately expose these communities to pollution. Researchers are also discovering tiny particles of plastic — known as microplastics — <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/microplastics-detected-in-human-blood-180979826/">in human blood</a> and stool, raising questions about potential health effects.The <keyword id="11896309" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="sustainability" source="Orion">sustainability</keyword> push has led some big brands and plastic makers to promise to make more recyclable or compostable packaging and to channel money toward local infrastructure so producers can get their materials back and reuse them. "We're investing in new technology to make sure the percent of recycled content in packaging increases and designing things to be lighter," Jen Ronk, the senior sustainability manager at Dow North America Packaging &amp; Specialty Plastics, said. The company <a href="http://www.businessfor2030.org/dow">also pledged to spend more than $1 billion</a> on efforts to manage plastic waste. Here's a rundown of the latest action: <h2>California</h2>On June 30, California Gov. Gavin Newsom <a href="https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB54">signed the most aggressive restrictions</a> on plastic in the country into law. By 2032, producers must use 25% less plastic in packaging for items like shampoo, food containers, and cups. Ocean Conservancy estimates that this provision alone will <a href="https://oceanconservancy.org/news/sb54-california-righting-ship-leading-u-s-ocean-plastic-pollution-crisis/">reduce plastic production by 23 million tons</a>, or 26 times the weight of the Golden Gate Bridge. By the same date, at least 65% of plastic must be recycled, a major jump from the <a href="https://sd26.senate.ca.gov/index.php/news/press-release/senator-allen-introduces-bill-phase-out-unsustainable-single-use-plastics">less than 15% that is recycled today</a>. "We know that to reduce the plastic-pollution crisis, we have to make less in the first place and reuse more through a circular economy," Brandon said, adding that the <keyword id="14446313" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="california-law" source="Orion">California law</keyword> is the first to address both sides of that equation. Plastic makers will pay $5 billion into a state fund to mitigate the environmental and health impacts of pollution from their products, as well. The industry will pay for collecting, sorting, and recycling waste through a fee on packaging, which will shift the burden away from taxpayers who now fund municipal-waste management. That policy, known as extended-producer responsibility, has picked up steam over the last year as Maine, Oregon, and most recently <keyword id="11918419" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="colorado" source="Orion">Colorado</keyword>, passed similar legislation. <h2>Colorado </h2>In June, the state passed its own extended-producer responsibility law that <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/colorado-to-tax-bottles-and-packaging-for-recycling-2022-6">slaps a fee on packaging such as bottles, food wrappers, and cardboard</a> to help fund recycling and keep waste out of landfills. Colorado's statewide <a href="https://cdphe.colorado.gov/colorado-recycling-totals">recycling rate for all materials is 15%</a>, less than half the national average of 32%. The law itself doesn't set mandatory recycling targets, but brands and packaging makers have to develop some for 2030 after they form a nonprofit to run the new recycling program.The law got rare public endorsements from big business, including Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Walmart. They joined forces with environmental groups like Recycle Colorado, the World Wildlife Fund, and the Sierra Club. <h2>Canada</h2><a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/managing-reducing-waste/reduce-plastic-waste/single-use-plastic-guidance.html">On June 22, the government announced</a> it would ban companies from making and importing certain single-use plastics by the end of the year as part of a sweeping effort to fight pollution and the climate crisis.Most plastic grocery bags, silverware, and straws fall under the ban, with a few exceptions for medical needs. According to the government, Canadians throw away more than 3 million tons of plastic waste every year and the country only recycles about 9% of it. "Companies don't make Canada-specific packaging or US-state specific packaging," Brandon said. "They are trying to maximize efficiency in a globalized supply chain, so these policies will have far-reaching ripple effects."<h2>India </h2>On July 1, India's government announced a ban on single-use plastics covering 19 items that are most likely to wind up as litter, such as straws, cups, and some disposable bags. The ban makes it illegal to make or import these products.According to <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/07/01/1109476072/india-plastics-ban-begins">the Associated Press</a>, thousands of other plastic items aren't covered, though the federal government has set recycling targets for manufacturers. According to its federal pollution watchdog, India generated more than 4.1 million metric tons of plastic waste in 2020. This decade the country is also trying to reduce the amount of greenhouse-gas emissions per unit of gross domestic product — known as carbon intensity — by 45%. Curbing plastic manufacturing can help India meet that target, said advocates of the ban.

Fighting our plastic problem: Bans and recycling mandates gain steam in the US and abroad

<ul><li>The e-commerce player said that by August 2019, it has achieved a 25% reduction in single-use plastic. </li><li>The company plans to move to 100% recycled plastic consumption in its own supply chain by March 2021.</li><li>Today, <keyword id="2573" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Air-India">Air India</keyword> too had banned single-use plastic </li></ul>As India moves to reduce its dependence on plastics, public and private corporations alike are joining in. Retail giant <keyword id="6354742" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Flipkart">Flipkart</keyword> said that it reduced single use plastics by 25% until August 2019, with multiple initiatives across its packaging value chain. State-owned Air India too announced that it will ban plastic products on its flights from October 2. This will include plastic bags, cups, plates, straws and more. They will be replaced by paper products. Creating alternatives for single-use plastic packaging: Flipkart Flipkart has a long term plan to use 100% recycled plastics in its own supply chain by March 2021. It’s planning to also use recycled paper bags for packaging. “Creating alternatives for single-use plastic packaging is one of the significant steps we have taken towards fulfilling our commitment to create a sustainable ecosystem. Our long-term vision is to eliminate the use of plastic and maximise the use of recycled and renewable materials,” said Kalyan Krishnamurthy, Group CEO, Flipkart. Indian companies have been cognizant of Indian government’s move to reduce plastic consumption and achieve recycling. States like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh and Telangana have banned single-use plastics. Uttar Pradesh and Kanataka too banned products which quality as single-use plastics without using the term. Plastic bottles will be banished: Anand Mahindra Anand Mahindra too promised that ‘plastic bottles will be banished’ from his company. The chairman of the automobile giant which also makes electric cars, spoke at the World Economic Forum about the need of business leaders coming together for the cause. “The business community too recognises that this is not a problem they are solving alone or something you check on your CSR (corporate social responsibility) box. This is the biggest business opportunity for the next few decades,” Mahindra said. Meanwhile, another IT giant Wipro and its founder Azim Premji too stressed on the importance of recycling. “This year, we have significantly scaled up the use of renewable energy for our operations, which now contributes 40% of our total consumption. Recycled water now contributes to 42% of our total water usage” Premji said at his annual general meeting.

Flipkart and Air India become the first in their sectors to begin the fight against plastic

<ul><li>Food and beverages multinationals — Coca Cola, Nestlé, <keyword id="54572" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="PepsiCo">Pepsico</keyword> — are the top three polluters in <keyword id="115238" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Plastic-waste">plastic waste</keyword>, globally. </li><li>Of a total of over 475,000 pieces of plastic collected from 50 countries, 19,904 plastic pieces were of Coca Cola, Nestle and PepsiCo. </li><li>Coca Cola has been marked as the worst company for <keyword id="1820144" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="plastic-pollution">plastic pollution</keyword> for the second consecutive year — accounting for 11,732 pieces of waste plastic across 37 countries. </li><li>Studies estimate that nearly 500 billion plastic bottles will be sold next year and merely 45 billion will be recycled.</li></ul>Food and beverages multinationals — Coca Cola, Nestlé, PepsiCo — are the top three <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/trevornace/2019/10/29/coca-cola-named-the-worlds-most-polluting-brand-in-plastic-waste-audit/#3ffbb41674e0">polluters in plastic waste</a>, globally. According to an annual audit conducted by environmental group Break Free From Plastic, of the total of over 475,000 pieces of plastic collected from 50 countries, 19,904 plastic pieces belonged to Coca Cola, Nestlé and PepsiCo. The environment group collected plastic waste from beaches, streets and waterways. Other plastic polluters include Unilever, Mars and Colgate Palmolive. In fact, Coca Cola has been marked as the worst company for plastic pollution for the second consecutive year — accounting for 11,732 pieces of waste plastic across 37 countries. “Anytime our packaging ends up in our oceans — or anywhere that it doesn’t belong — is unacceptable to us. In partnership with others, we are working to address this critical global issue, both to help turn off the tap in terms of plastic waste entering our oceans and to help clean up the existing pollution,” Coca Cola <a href="https://theintercept.com/2019/10/23/coca-cola-plastic-waste-pollution/">told</a> The Intercept. Coca-Cola partnered with Dr Pepper and PepsiCo to announce a plastic recycling programme — ‘Every Bottle Back’ — to cut down on the use of new plastic and improve the quality of recycled plastics. The move is aimed to ensure awareness that the bottles are 100% recyclable and can be transformed into new bottles. The audit aims to clean public places off plastic along with identifying the companies that make the most of it. According to studies, every minute there are over a million plastic bottles made and most of them are not recycled. It estimates that nearly 500 billion plastic bottles will be sold next year and merely 45 billion will be recycled. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/policy/news/no-plastic-ban-in-india-with-plans-to-eliminate-single-use-plastic-by-2022/articleshow/71403214.cms">India won’t be banning plastic — for now</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/flipkart-and-air-india-become-the-first-in-their-sectors-to-begin-the-fight-against-plastic/articleshow/70894061.cms">Flipkart and Air India become the first in their sectors to begin the fight against plastic</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/mount-everest-will-turn-into-a-plastic-free-zone-by-2020-as-nepal-bans-it/articleshow/70780916.cms">Mount Everest will turn into a plastic-free zone by 2020 as Nepal bans it</a>

Coca Cola, Nestlé and PepsiCo are the top global polluters in plastic waste

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A ban on single-use plastics has support from three-quarters of people worldwide, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/75-people-want-single-use-plastics-banned-global-survey-finds-2022-02-22/?taid=6214414b39c1a300014bb400&amp;utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&amp;utm_medium=trueAnthem&amp;utm_source=twitter">Reuters reported.</a></li><li>Countries will meet in Nairobi later this month to start negotiating a plastics treaty.</li></ul>Three-quarters of the world population want to ban single-use plastics like soda bottles, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/75-people-want-single-use-plastics-banned-global-survey-finds-2022-02-22/?taid=6214414b39c1a300014bb400&amp;utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&amp;utm_medium=trueAnthem&amp;utm_source=twitter">according to a poll published by Reuters and IPSOS.</a>The survey marks an uptick from 71% who favored a similar action in 2019. The strongest support for a single-use plastics ban came from respondents in Mexico, Colombia, and India, all nations hard-hit by plastic pollution, according to Reuters.The poll, published early Tuesday London time, also found that 85% of those surveyed say that manufacturers and retailers should "be held responsible" for reducing the impact of <keyword id="12427295" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="plastic-waste" source="Orion">plastic waste</keyword>. The survey polled 20,000 people from 28 countries."People worldwide have made their views clear," Marco Lambertini, director general of the World Wildlife Fund International, told Reuters of the survey. "The onus and opportunity is now on governments to adopt a global plastics treaty ... so we can eliminate plastic pollution."Governments will have an opportunity to forge such a treaty later this month. That's when representatives of different nations will meet in Nairobi to make plans for a pact on plastics, Reuters reported. The meeting is scheduled to span from Feb. 28 until March 2.Groups that lobby for oil and chemical companies, such as the American Chemistry Council, are pushing governments to avoid any agreements that would limit plastic production, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/sustainable-business/un-pact-may-restrict-plastic-production-big-oil-aims-stop-it-2022-02-18/">an investigation by Reuters earlier this month found.</a> Petroleum products are a key ingredient for producing plastic.Ninety percent of those polled by the Reuters/IPSOS survey said they want a treaty to tackle plastic pollution, though a treaty could take a variety of forms, from focusing mostly on <keyword id="12063226" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="recycling" source="Orion">recycling</keyword> efforts to broader curbs on plastic production.Major manufacturers that rely on single-use plastics have publicized commitments that fall into the first category. <keyword id="12109002" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="coca-cola" source="Orion">Coca-Cola</keyword>, for example, said earlier this month that it would <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/sustainable-business/coca-cola-criticized-plastic-pollution-pledges-25-reusable-packaging-2022-02-10/">make 25% of the packaging it uses worldwide reusable</a> by 2030. Rival <keyword id="12259147" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="pepsico" source="Orion">PepsiCo</keyword> said in September that it would <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/pepsico-slash-plastic-use-sustainability-push-2021-09-15/">reduce its use of virgin plastic in its packaging.</a>Plastic packaging from food, beverages, and other consumer goods has become common in the <keyword id="11901561" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="environment" source="Orion">environment</keyword>. It has <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/plastic-pollution-microplastics-pervade-surface-deep-ocean-2019-6">accumulated in large patches in the Pacific Ocean</a> and can harm the health of humans and wildlife.The problem has become even worse during the pandemic, with <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/oceans-polluted-with-approximately-tons-ppe-during-pandemic-2021-11">single-use plastics from hospitals accelerating pollution.</a>

Three-quarters of the world's population wants single-use plastics banned, according to new study

New Delhi, Dec 8 () Amid a growing debate over impact of single use plastics on environment, paper offers a sustainable option and can capture a fourth of the Rs 80,000 crore single use plastics market by 2025, if its use is totally banned by the government, a new study said.
India generated 26,000 tonnes per day of plastic waste in 2017-18, of that only 60 per cent was recycled and the rest ended up as litter on roads, in landfills or streams. Single use plastic industry is close to Rs 80,000 crore right now and growing. Packaging accounts for a third of India's plastic consumption, and 70 per cent of plastic packaging is turned into waste in a short span.
While uncollected plastic waste poses a huge threat to species on land and in water, single-use plastic bags and styrofoam containers can take up to 1,000 years to decompose, said the study released at the world's largest paper fair, PAPEREX organized by Hyve India, a 100 per cent subsidiary of Hyve Group Plc, London, last week.
Paper, on the other hand, is eco-friendly green product and bio-degradable, it said, adding it was a myth that the paper industries cut trees for production, and consumption of water and energy is high. Paper industry plants more trees than harvested and primary raw material are 100 per cent renewable like wood and agro-residues.
The study said about a third of new paper comes from recycled paper and an equivalent amount from waste such as sawdust and scrap from lumber mills.
"In India, companies use 46 per cent raw material from recovered paper, 29 per cent from agro residue like bagasse, straw etc and 29 per cent from plantation wood," it said, adding paper promotes literacy, hygiene and reduce pollution by using bagasse.
For production of one tonne paper, 2.1 tonne of wood is required but "no forest wood is being utilised for paper manufacturing," it said. "All (paper) mills are fulfilling their requirement through social forestry plantation on its own or through farmers."
More importantly, average cost of recycling of paper is Rs 32 per kg -- Rs 20 for cost of collecting paper trash and Rs 12 conversion cost. In comparison, the cost to collection of plastic waste is Rs 30 to 36 per kg and recycling is Rs 22 to Rs 35 per kg, it said, adding transporting one tonne of paper costs Rs 4.5 per kilometer as compared to Rs 6.2 in case of plastic.
Energy consumption for paper production is 0.59 to 1.19 tonne of oil equivalent per tonne as opposed to 1.48 to 2.58 a tonne in plastic, the study said, adding 55-60 per cent energy can be saved if paper is used in place of plastic.
According to Sanjeev Batra, Director, Hyve India, due to the fundamental and technological revolution, 100 per cent paper produced is recyclable and biodegradable.
"Paperex 2019 impressed upon the common man to save the environment and how this essential commodity use in our everyday life can reduce pollution and promote recycling," he said.
"Paper industry is going through the transformation phase and now the paper industry uses less power and water due to technological changes. Cost of production of recycled paper is at least 30 to 40 per cent cheaper depending upon the location than the recycled plastic," J P Narain, VP, Indian Paper &amp; Manufacturers Association and CEO of Century Paper said.
The requirement of better quality packaging products and the demand for other products, such as tissue paper, filter paper, tea bags and cardboard are expected to drive the paper and paper products market in India in the coming years, he said.
"There is a big opportunity for paper industry as single-use plastic market in India is close to Rs 80,000 crore. Paper industry is ready to take 25 per cent market share of single-use plastic by 2025 if totally banned by the government," he said.
Of the 9.1 billion tonnes of plastic that the world has produced since 1950, 6.9 billion tons has become waste, and only 9 per cent of that has been recycled, the rest ends up in landfills and in the world's oceans, the study said.
India's plastic consumption at 11 kg per capita is less than half of global average of 28 per kg. The US has per capita consumption of 109 kg, while it is 65 kg in Europe and 38 kg in China.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants India to eliminate single-use plastics by 2022, following on the footsteps of major nations around the world that are waging a war on them.
The study said chips and confectionery packets account for the largest share of plastic waste in India - 12 per cent of total plastic waste is bottle caps and lids, 19 per cent are chips and confectionery packets, 10 per cent are pet bottles, 8 per cent garbage bags and 8 per cent is packaging. ANZ DP
BAL

Paper industry to capture 25 pc market share of Rs 80,000 cr single use plastics by 2025

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">YouTube/Coca-ColaStraw bans alone won't solve anything. But maybe they're a start.</div></div></div><ul><li>Earlier this month, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ap-seattles-ban-on-plastic-straws-and-utensil-now-in-effect-2018-7">Seattle</a> became the first major US city to ban single-use plastic straws and utensils.</li><li>Corporate plastic bans are also quickly gaining momentum: companies like <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/starbucks-replaces-straws-with-sippy-cup-lid-2018-7">Starbucks,</a> Aramark and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ap-american-airlines-says-its-getting-rid-of-plastic-straws-2018-7">American Airlines</a> are vowing to stop offering plastic straws.</li><li>Plastic straw bans alone won't change much. Less than 9% of all of the plastic we use every day gets recycled. Instead, most ends up in landfills or floating out in the ocean.</li><li>That problem won't be fixed by forgoing a straw, but environmentalists say letting go of a single piece of plastic could be a first step in a much-needed larger behavior change.</li></ul> Plastic straws are quickly becoming a takeout taboo. Starbucks has vowed to get its iconic green sippers completely off store shelves by 2020, while Seattle banned all plastic utensils, including straws, from bars and businesses city-wide earlier this month, in a first-of-its kind rule. <a href="http://www.sfweekly.com/news/s-f-stirs-up-plastic-straw-ban/">San Francisco is</a> expected to be next.But the truth is that straws are just the tip of the trash heap when it comes to plastic waste.In 2015, plastic consumption worldwide totaled <a href="https://blog.euromonitor.com/2018/04/ethical-living-megatrend-briefing-plastic-lose-re-use.html">300 million metric</a> tonnes. That essentially means that for each one of the world's 7.6 billion humans, we're making 25.3 tonnes of plastic a year. The packaging industry is still growing, according to Euromonitor, with <a href="https://blog.euromonitor.com/2017/07/packaging-market-2017.html">flexible plastics</a> leading the pack. It may seem as though the quarter-of-an-inch diameter drinking straw is the least of our worries. But environmentalists say the fight's got to start somewhere. "We look at straws as one of the gateway issues to help people start thinking about the global plastic pollution problem," <a href="http://www.plasticpollutioncoalition.org/">Plastic Pollution Coalition</a> CEO Dianna Cohen told Business Insider. "They've been designed to be used for a very short amount of time, and then be tossed away." Simply put: we have a plastic problem. And it doesn't end with straws. Cohen is one of many in the environmental crowd that are on a crusade to get people using less plastic, immediately. So if people can't ditch all of their plastic habits, then maybe it's time to start smaller, and forget the straws, right now.People in the US now <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-avoid-gaining-weight-2018-5">spend more money eating out than eating in</a> - often with food coming in plastic or throw-away containers.It's not just food. Most plastic turns to trash after a single use. If you think you're doing Mother Earth a solid by slinging your used plastics into the recycling, think again. More than <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5517107/">79% of all plastic waste ends up in landfills, or gets stuck in the natural world</a>, regardless of which sorting bin you put it in. Another 12% gets burned up in incinerators, adding to particulate matter to the atmosphere. Only a remaining 9% is actually recycled, according to a 2017 report published in <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5517107/">Science Advances</a>. "It's wonderful if Starbucks is going to phase out straws, that's a great start," Cohen said. But she says it's clear that the effort can't end there: "Look at how much other single use plastic is at Starbucks. It's a joke." Other companies aren't just cutting back on straws. On Tuesday, food service giant Aramark, a company that operates in schools, prisons, hospitals, and businesses in 19 countries around the world, <a href="https://www.aramark.com/about-us/news/aramark-general/single-use-plastics-announcement-2018">vowed to reduce its straw use 60% by 2020</a>, while still making some straws available to people with disabilities who need an assist getting liquids from cup to mouth. The company also says it'll cut back on plastic cutlery, plastic bags, and "various packaging materials." <h2>The plastic problem</h2>Every piece of plastic that's produced in the world <a href="https://plastics.americanchemistry.com/How-Plastics-Are-Made/">started out as the product</a> of a piece of coal, a slick of oil, or natural gas. There were naturally-derived polymers around long before that, including materials like animal horn and rubber, but the kind of plastic that we package things in today didn't show up until 1907, with the invention of the <a href="https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/bakelite.html">first synthetic plastic</a> made from fossil fuels: Bakelite.Because of the way these new, manufactured polymers are heated up and cured, many plastics can't ever truly be recycled. That robust quality once made them a wonderfully remarkable, nearly unbreakable replacement for older, more fragile products like porcelain or glass. But it also means that "plastic might sit in a landfill, or litter a street, for thousands of years without decomposing," <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-27442625">as the BBC</a> put it. <div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image">The Ocean Cleanup</div></div></div>The plastics that our straws are made from (usually one like <a href="https://www.amazon.com/GEN-STRAWWFLX-Wrapped-Straws-Polypropylene/dp/B01BHXS8IE/ref=sr_1_10_s_it?s=hpc&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1532378858&amp;sr=1-10&amp;refinements=p_n_feature_keywords_four_browse-bin%3A6146461011">polypropelyne</a>) might be recyclable, at least in theory, but most aren't. They're dumped into landfills or hauled off on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/recycling-system-is-breaking-down-2018-5">big boats over to China</a> - a plastic trade that's in decline.Some straws drift out to sea, becoming just one more piece of the 79 thousand-ton colossal floating iceberg of trash called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Scientists who've studied the patch, a trash heap wider than <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/great-pacific-garbage-patch-view-study-plastic-2018-3">two whole Texases</a> that bobs somewhere between Hawaii and California, have discovered it's essentially a watery pit of litter and illegal dumps that's trapped in the ocean currents, and it is basically all plastic. <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-22939-w">A 2018 report</a> based on aerial and water surveys of the patch found that "more than 99.9%" of it is plastic, and it's not just straws in there. Plastic objects identified in the patch included containers, bottles, lids, bottle caps, packaging straps, ropes, and fishing nets. <h2>So why pick on straws?</h2>The anti-straw movement may have first picked up steam because of a viral video that started going around in 2015. Texas A&amp;M graduate student Christine Figgener happened to be out tagging some sea turtles as part of her research in Costa Rica, when she noticed something encrusted in the nose of one of the male turtles.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image">nicolas.voisin44/ShutterstockSea creatures are often at the mercy of our plastic trash.</div></div></div>"We thought it might be another parasite, or something living on or in him," Figgener <a href="https://today.tamu.edu/2015/11/18/the-turtle-with-a-straw-in-its-nose-the-story-behind-the-viral-video/">said in a video</a>. The team soon figured out it was actually a "plastic straw stuck in his nose," and removed it, hoping the extraction might help give him some more breathing time on Earth. "In a way, that turtle became a poster child," Cohen, who in addition to heading up the PPC also creates <a href="https://news.psu.edu/story/504767/2018/02/12/sustainability/artist-dianna-cohen-present-lecture-feb-15-palmer-museum">plastic art</a> to raise awareness about the problem, said. "Well, a poster turtle."But there's debate as to whether ditching straws will really lead to more measurable actions. It's possible that people will feel content that they've done their part for Mother Earth, simply by forgoing a single straw, without changing other behaviors. Researchers who've studied these questions have come up with <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959378014001599">mixed results</a>. Sometimes, doing one good thing for the environment can kickstart people into other Earth-friendly behaviors, but other studies suggest that people might give themselves a pass on changing other behaviors once they've done one good deed - what's called a "single action bias."<h2>It's time to ditch all kinds of plastic</h2>What it really comes down to is living with less plastic, and changing old behaviors. Other countries are aggressively regulating plastics already. Morocco, once a land laden with fields full of drifting plastic bags, <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/07/green-morocco-bans-plastic-bags-160701141919913.html">banned the production, sale, and import of plastic bags completely in 2016</a>. Rwanda <a href="https://plasticoceans.org/rwanda-plastic-bag-ban/">was one of the first places in the world to ban plastic bags</a>, in 2008, and in the US, both <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/california-will-be-the-first-state-to-ban-plastic-bags-2014-9">California</a> and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hawaii-plastic-bag-ban-2015-7">Hawaii</a> followed suit, while other states (like Michigan) <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/12/30/yes-this-is-real-michigan-just-banned-banning-plastic-bags/?utm_term=.15830d70a877">rose up against</a> the idea of ever weaning themselves off plastics and banned bans. <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/india-vows-to-ban-all-single-use-plastics-by-2022-world-environment-day-un-environment/">India says</a> all single-use plastic will be banned there by 2022. In England, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/queen-bans-plastic-straws-after-david-attenborough-documentary-2018-2">Queen Elizabeth now insists</a> that no plastic straws or bottles appear on the royal estates. But there is historical evidence that Americans can change their ways, improving the environment while growing the economy. In the 1960s, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/photos-america-before-epa-documerica-2017-10">unregulated pollution was causing all kinds of problems to crop up across the US,</a> from rivers bursting into flames, to offshore oil spills and asthma-inducing car exhaust. We haven't gotten rid of any of these things completely, but after the US started the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1970, we began regulating their use, and the <a href="https://www.epa.gov/clean-air-act-overview/progress-cleaning-air-and-improving-peoples-health">economy grew</a> as the health of the entire country improved. <div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image">Dick Swanson/DocumericaThe Walt Whitman bridge, which connects Philadelphia and New Jersey, was a smoggy sight in August 1973.</div></div></div>The EPA has also <a href="https://www.epa.gov/recycle">helped promote</a> the simple "reduce, reuse, recycle" mantra. Cohen hopes people can add one more word into the mix in 2018: "refuse." As in, refusing plastic containers wherever they're offered, whether it be at a coffee shop, an ice cream stand, or the grocery store. Behavioral scientists know this kind of habit change is hard, but as social psychologist <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-quit-drinking-stop-bad-habits-psychologist-simple-trick-2018-1">John Bargh previously told Business Insider</a>, "the more you practice doing something, the less effort it takes."Make reuse a habit, and it becomes a lot easier for your brain to handle. Start carrying around your own containers, Cohen said."It's going to sound like something exciting and new," Cohen said. "Really, it's what our parents and our great grandparents did."Cohen admits she loves straws, and now has a whole collection of alternative straws at home: paper, bendable steel, rye wheat, and glass."Plastics seem inexpensive because all of the cost to the environment and ocean and animals have been externalized," she said. "The thing about single-use plastic is it's actually really inconvenient for our health, for the health of the ocean, for the health of wildlife in the ocean, and on land." <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/this-reusable-straw-collapses-to-fit-on-your-keyring-finalstraw-plastic-pollution2018-5">This reusable straw collapses to fit on your keyring and 'will last a lifetime'</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

You Searched For "Plastic ban in India" and got 12 results

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The real reason why so many cities and businesses are banning plastic straws

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