News:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced that India would phase out single use plastic by 2022. However, there would be no blanket ban on single-use plastics.
Facts:
Single-Use Plastics:
- Single-use plastics, often also referred to as disposable plastics, include items intended to be used only once before they are thrown away or recycled.
- They are commonly used for plastic packaging. These include, among other items, grocery bags, food packaging, bottles, straws, containers, cups and cutlery.
Global Single use plastic Waste Generation:
According to UNEP,
- In 2015, plastic packaging waste accounted for 47% of the plastic waste generated globally, with half of that coming from Asia.
- China was the largest worldwide generator of plastic packaging. The USA was the largest generator of plastic packaging waste on a per-capita basis, followed by Japan and the EU.
