Tamil Nadu bans manufacture, use of plastic from January 1, 2019

Chennai: In a major move towards conserving the environment, Tamil Nadu will go for plastic ban, starting January 1, 2019.

The announcement on ban on manufacture, sales, storage and usage of disposable plastic across the state was made by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palanisamy on Tuesday.

Making a suo motu statement in the assembly, chief minister Palanisamy said the announcement was based on the recommendations of an expert panel constituted by former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa in this regard.

However, the ban excludes using disposable plastic for packaging milk, curd, oil and medical utilities, the chief minister said.

The ban was primarily on plastic carry bags, plastic plates, plastic cups, plastic flags, small plastic sachets used in packaging water, among others, Palanisamy said.

The disposal of such plastic material affected the flow of waste water and drainage and deeply affected the ground water table, the Chief Minister stated.

The announcement incidentally comes on World Environment Day. The theme for this year is 'beat plastic pollution.'

India is the global host of 2018 World Environment Day.

The Government of India had earlier committed to organising and promoting the World Environment Day celebrations through a series of engaging activities and events generating strong public interest and participation.