Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call on August 15 to eliminate the use of these polluting items by 2022 has been widely welcomed, but banning a huge chunk of the informal economy could come with its own costs. read more

In an Independence Day speech on August 15, PM Narendra Modi urged people and government agencies to “take the first big step” on Oct. 2 towards freeing India of single-use plastic. read more

Addressing his monthly radio show ‘Mann ki baat’, the PM had urged people to kick start a new revolution against plastic from October 2, the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. This was a follow up to his appeal of a plastic-free India made during... read more

Environmentalists are also concerned that the pollution on Everest is affecting water sources down in the valley. read more

The group has collected 1,544 plastic bags through three collection drives which took place across three colleges in the city read more

With the demand for cloth bags on the rise, more convicts will be trained and employed; currently, around 2,200 convicts of the total 10,000 make 17,000 paper, cloth bags in state. read more

Thermocol, or polystyrene foam, can no longer be used for decorations during Ganesh Chaturthi, the court declared on Friday. read more

Chief minister Naveen Patnaik says ban on plastic will be imposed in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Rourkela, Berhampur and Sambalpur municipal corporations and Puri town from October 2 in the first phase. read more

The state has deferred implementation of the buyback scheme after manufacturers failed to submit their plans for collecting and recycling bottles. read more

The arguments against banning plastic are similar to those made in other countries that have introduced bans of some kind on production and use of plastic products. read more

State pollution board says 265 units voluntarily shut business, while 90 others have been issued closure notices. read more

Tetra packaging is used for packaging various beverages and semi-liquid food items, while multi-layer packaging is used for packing chips, biscuits, etc. read more

Mumbaiites step out for grocery shopping with cloth bags and steel utensils. read more

In an article in the party mouthpiece ‘Saamana’ on Wednesday, the Sena leader said the next focus would be on prohibiting the use of plastic microbeads. read more

State environment minister Ramdas Kadam said he has asked these organisations to approach the empowered committee.  read more