India's Micron Plastic Regulation: What's The Limit?

India has been taking steps to reduce the use of single-use plastic in the country. In 2011, the minimum thickness of plastic bags was increased from 20 microns to 40 microns. In 2021, the government decided to ban 50-micron thick plastic bags and prescribed a higher thickness of 75 microns. From January 1, 2023, the thickness of plastic bags will be further revised to 120 microns.

Plastic bags under 50 microns are banned in India

The recent Indian enactment, the Plastic Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2011, specifies that the minimum thickness of plastic bags should be 40 microns. This is primarily because the thickness of the bag determines the strength of the bag to break into smaller pieces. The thinner the bag is, the higher the probability of its breakdown and mixing with the soil, which seriously deteriorates the soil and marine fauna.

India has banned the manufacture, sale and use of identified single-use plastic items like plates, cups, straws, trays and polystyrene from July 1, 2022. One of the single-use plastic items listed among them is the plastic carry bag. The biggest challenge around the elimination of single-use plastic in India is the absence of a well-established system for effective segregation, collection, and recycling. Moreover, India still doesn’t have a waste recycling policy in place due to environmental issues raised by various State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs).

Plastic bags must be 75 microns thick

Plastic bags in India must be at least 75 microns thick. This is because the thickness of a bag determines how likely it is to break down into smaller pieces that can mix with the soil and cause serious damage to the environment.

The Plastic Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2011, specified that plastic bags should be a minimum of 40 microns thick. This was an increase from the 20 microns specified by the Plastics Manufacture, Sale and Usage Rules, 1999. However, the government decided to ban 50-micron thick plastic bags and prescribed a higher thickness of 75 microns.

From January 1, 2023, the thickness of plastic bags will be further revised to 120 microns, according to the Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021. This change will be implemented in two phases, with the first phase beginning on September 30, 2022.

Plastic bags will be 120 microns thick from January 1, 2023

As of July 1, 2022, India has banned the manufacture, sale and use of identified single-use plastic items like plates, cups, straws, trays and polystyrene. The Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, define carry bags as "bags made from plastic material or compostable plastic material, used to carry or dispense commodities which have a self-carrying feature".

The Plastic Waste Management and Handling Rules, 2011, urged plastic manufacturers to shift from a 40-micron thickness to a 50-micron thickness. However, in the latest amendment, the government decided to ban 50-micron thick plastic bags and prescribed a higher thickness of 75 microns. From January 1, 2023, the thickness of the plastic bag will be further revised to 120 microns, according to the Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021.

The thickness of the bag is important because it determines the strength of the bag and how likely it is to break down into smaller pieces. The thinner the bag, the higher the probability of its breakdown and mixing with the soil, which seriously deteriorates the soil and marine fauna.

The biggest challenge around the elimination of single-use plastic in India is the absence of a well-established system for effective segregation, collection, and recycling. Moreover, India still doesn’t have a waste recycling policy in place due to environmental issues raised by various State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs).

Plastic bags were previously 40 microns thick

In 2016, the Plastic Waste Management Rules urged plastic manufacturers to shift from 40-micron bags to 50-micron bags. However, in 2021, the government decided to ban 50-micron thick plastic bags and prescribed a higher thickness of 75 microns. This thickness requirement was further increased to 120 microns, which came into effect on July 1, 2022, as part of a ban on single-use plastic items. This ban included the manufacture, sale and use of items like plates, cups, straws, trays and polystyrene. The thickness clause for polythene bags was implemented in a staggered manner in two phases, beginning on September 30, 2022. From January 1, 2023, the thickness of plastic bags will be further revised to 120 microns, according to the Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021.

Plastic bags were 20 microns thick before 2011

In July 2022, India banned the manufacture, sale and use of identified single-use plastic items like plates, cups, straws, trays and polystyrene. The Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, define carry bags as "bags made from plastic material or compostable plastic material, used to carry or dispense commodities which have a self-carrying feature". The rules urge plastic manufacturers to shift from a 40-micron thickness to a 50-micron thickness.

The biggest challenge around the elimination of single-use plastic in India is the absence of a well-established system for effective segregation, collection, and recycling. Moreover, India still doesn’t have a waste recycling policy in place due to environmental issues raised by various State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs).

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