India has imposed a ban on single-use plastic from Friday in a bid to tackle a leading source of environment pollution.
India's Environment Ministry has banned 19 single-use plastic items, from forks, spoons, straws, trays and ear buds, wrapping or packaging films on sweet boxes and cigarette packets and PVC banners of less than 100 microns.
But critics say companies are "not ready" to put alternatives in place.
Single-use plastics are those disposed of after one use, which cannot be recycled. They often end up in landfill, rivers or oceans, contributing to pollution and disrupting the ecosystem long term.
“A defining step to curb pollution caused by littered and unmanaged plastic waste is being taken by the country,” said the country's Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
The government has banned manufacturing, import, stocking and distribution of the single-use plastic items.
Anyone found using the banned products could be fined 100,000 rupees ($1,265) or be sentenced to five years in jail — or both.
Inspection teams have been set up at national and state level for the enforcement of the ban and border checkpoints have been established to monitor interstate movement of the banned products.
In the capital, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee has fanned out 15 teams to ensure the rules are not flouted.
India, the world’s second most populous nation of 1.3 billion, generates 3.5 million tonnes of plastic waste every year, Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said in April.
Of that total, about 240,000 tonnes is single-use, the Central Pollution Control Board said.
Heaped plastic waste along roadsides are a common sight. Plastic waste chokes drainage, rivers and waterways and ends up in overflowing landfill sites that regularly catch fire.
Cows can be seen munching on discarded milk packets and chocolate wrappers in many towns and cities.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had planned to phase out the single-use plastic by 2020, but the plan was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and unpreparedness of industry bodies, which have been urging the government to delay the prohibition.
Balakrishna Bhartia, president of the Confederation of All India Traders, told The National: “It is very easy to impose a ban and we have no issue because we agree that environment protection is a must, but what better alternative has the government brought to shift the usage?
"The ban must be delayed so better alternatives can be developed."
Plastic manufacturers have rued that the alternatives of the single-use plastic suggested by the authorities, such as biodegradable cutlery and bamboo straws, are expensive and the ban would cost them millions of dollars in losses.
Kishore Sampat, president of the All India Plastic Manufacturers’ Association, told The National that the ban would affect more than 80,000 companies that make single-use plastic items.
“This is a big change as companies are not ready with the alternatives," he said. "There has been billions of investment in machinery which will go to waste."
He said Mr Modi’s government should instead establish better recycling infrastructure.
“Alternatives to plastic, whether it is paper or wood, are three to four times costlier and not available for mass production,” he said. "We request ... a proper recycling infrastructure which is a solution."
Some environment experts have welcomed the ban but say enforcement will be a challenge given the size of the country.
Similar plastic bans have been passed by more than half a dozen state governments in the past, but have rarely been successful.
Priti Mahesh, an environmentalist and chief programme co-ordinator at Toxics Link, a non-profit environmental group in Delhi, said the ban could be effective if it is strictly implemented.
“There have been previous bans but they have not been very successful because implementation was not strong,” Ms Mahesh said.
"One big change this time is that it is a nationwide ban so there is a uniformity which will help If the government is serious and the enforcement is done seriously, then the ban can be very effective.”
The environmentalist suggested a large enforcement mechanism and involvement of citizens to help reduce unnecessary plastic waste.
“Citizen groups need to be involved otherwise it will be difficult as we are a huge country,” she said. "The kind of materials banned are not used large-scale but in shops, enterprises. Just relying on the regulatory system will be very difficult."
The studios taking part (so far)
- Punch
- Vogue Fitness
- Sweat
- Bodytree Studio
- The Hot House
- The Room
- Inspire Sports (Ladies Only)
- Cryo
The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
Cricket World Cup League 2 Fixtures
Saturday March 5, UAE v Oman, ICC Academy (all matches start at 9.30am)
Sunday March 6, Oman v Namibia, ICC Academy
Tuesday March 8, UAE v Namibia, ICC Academy
Wednesday March 9, UAE v Oman, ICC Academy
Friday March 11, Oman v Namibia, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Saturday March 12, UAE v Namibia, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Chirag Suri, Muhammad Waseem, CP Rizwan, Vriitya Aravind, Asif Khan, Basil Hameed, Rohan Mustafa, Kashif Daud, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Karthik Meiyappan, Akif Raja, Rahul Bhatia
Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201.5-litre%204-cylinder%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20101hp%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20135Nm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20Six-speed%20auto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh79%2C900%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Wallabies
Updated team: 15-Israel Folau, 14-Dane Haylett-Petty, 13-Reece Hodge, 12-Matt Toomua, 11-Marika Koroibete, 10-Kurtley Beale, 9-Will Genia, 8-Pete Samu, 7-Michael Hooper (captain), 6-Lukhan Tui, 5-Adam Coleman, 4-Rory Arnold, 3-Allan Alaalatoa, 2-Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1-Scott Sio.
Replacements: 16-Folau Faingaa, 17-Tom Robertson, 18-Taniela Tupou, 19-Izack Rodda, 20-Ned Hanigan, 21-Joe Powell, 22-Bernard Foley, 23-Jack Maddocks.
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
All you need to know about Formula E in Saudi Arabia
What The Saudia Ad Diriyah E-Prix
When Saturday
Where Diriyah in Saudi Arabia
What time Qualifying takes place from 11.50am UAE time through until the Super Pole session, which is due to end at 12.55pm. The race, which will last for 45 minutes, starts at 4.05pm.
Who is competing There are 22 drivers, from 11 teams, on the grid, with each vehicle run solely on electronic power.
A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Ain Issa camp:
- Established in 2016
- Houses 13,309 people, 2,092 families, 62 per cent children
- Of the adult population, 49 per cent men, 51 per cent women (not including foreigners annexe)
- Most from Deir Ezzor and Raqqa
- 950 foreigners linked to ISIS and their families
- NGO Blumont runs camp management for the UN
- One of the nine official (UN recognised) camps in the region
Company Profile
Company name: OneOrder
Started: October 2021
Founders: Tamer Amer and Karim Maurice
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Industry: technology, logistics
Investors: A15 and self-funded
Dubai Rugby Sevens
November 30, December 1-2
International Vets
Christina Noble Children’s Foundation fixtures
Thursday, November 30:
10.20am, Pitch 3, v 100 World Legends Project
1.20pm, Pitch 4, v Malta Marauders
Friday, December 1:
9am, Pitch 4, v SBA Pirates
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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1.
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United States
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2.
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China
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3.
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UAE
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4.
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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6.
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Canada
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7.
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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