The ministry may opt for wooden or cardboard-made utensils for the passengers.
The IRCTC will soon ban single-use plastic from the catering department of the Indian Railways. Items such as plates, spoons, cups, glasses, trays, and other essentials will be replaced soon. The decision has been taken against the backdrop of a ban on single-use plastic by the Ministry of Environment.
Officials of railways have started to prepare guidelines for the ban on plastic. Alternative resources are also been explored by the Railway Ministry. The ministry may opt for wooden or cardboard-made utensils for the passengers. The notification has been shared by all the regional railway heads. The Ministry has also asked to reduce the usage of such items till an alternative is presented in the guidelines.
The step has been taken to remove the usage of single plastic items in the marketplace. The Union Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change through its notification ordered the ban of single-use plastic from July 1. The Ministry has selected 21 items of single-use plastic to be banned. The items which are prohibited by the Ministry are-
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Earbuds with plastic sticks
Plastic sticks for balloons
Plastic flags
Candy sticks made of plastic
Ice-cream sticks made of plastic
Thermocol (Expanded polystyrene) for decoration
Plates, cups, glasses, forks, spoons, knives, straws, trays, and stirrers made of plastic
Wrapping or packaging films around sweet boxes, invitation cards, and cigarette packets
Plastic or PVC banners less than 100-micron thickness
Plastic carry bags less than 75-micron thickness ( this will be revised to 120-micron thickness from 31st December 2022)
As per the guidelines of the Union Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change, importing, stocking, manufacturing, distribution, and sale are all prohibited. The ban will be monitored by Central Pollution Control Board from the Centre and by the State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) that will report to the Centre regularly.
