The draft notification calling for a ban on recycled plastic bags was published in November, 1998. And after considering objections from the Recycled Plastic Manufacturers Association, the notification has been finalised by the Minister of Environment and Forests, Suresh Prabhu, in consultation with the pollution control board officials. However, the notification doesn't seek to ban carry bags made from virgin plastic and those bags, which are not artificially coloured.

Instead of a total ban on plastic bags, the government has prescribed that all carry bags should be at least 20 microns thick, whether made of recycled plastic or virgin plastic. Anything of lesser thickness will not be permitted. Vendors will not be permitted to store, carry, dispense or packfoodstuff in recycled plastic bags. Foodstuff includes ready-to-eat food and food products, fast food, processed and cooked food in liquid, powder, solid or semi-solid form.

All carry bags made from recycled plastic will have to carry a mark indicating that they are recycled along with the percentage of recycled material used. Manufacturers, who do not have printing facilities, are to be given one year's time to comply with this rule.

Plastic containers and carry bags made form recycled plastic for purposes other than packing foodstuff will be manufactured using pigments and colourants as per the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) guidelines, the notification says.

With this notification, government officials hope to slow down the use of plastic carry bags and also discourage customers from asking for them.``The notification will double the cost of recycled bags as the prescribed thickness of 20 microns is more than double the thickness normally used,'' says Sunil Jain, president of the Recycled PlasticManufacturers and Traders Association of Delhi.

He says that the ban will only affect the manufactures of the thin plastic bags, which were mainly used by vegetable, meat and kiryana stores. So far, the manufacturers have been making the thin plastic bags of 8 to 10 microns thickness, when made from recycled plastic, and 5 to 6 microns when made from virgin plastic. ``One kg of thin plastic bags usually had 1,000 pieces. Now, vendors will get 500 bags only, which effectively doubles the cost,'' says Jain.

The notification will also lay down the standards for recycling plastic as per the BIS specification under IS 14534, 1998 entitled ``The Guidelines for Recycling of Plastics''. Adds an environment ministry official, ``The state pollution control boards will enforce these rules and ensure that cheap, recycled bags are not used, and the collection, segregation, transportation and disposal are done as per the laws regarding the disposal of non-biodegradable garbage.''