The Environment and Forest Department, Government of Tamil Nadu has withdrawn the exemption granted for use of plastic bags for packaging. According to this, the plastic bags, which constitute or form an “integral part of packaging” in which goods are sealed prior to use at manufacturing or processing units, are not exempted any more from the plastic ban.
V.Lakshminarayanasamy, President, The Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Coimbatore, said in a Press Release that the Chamber appreciates the Government for bringing this order to make Tamil Nadu free of discarded plastic.
But the announcement has made it clear that plastic carry bags manufactured exclusively for export purpose, plastic used to pack milk and carry bags made from compostable plastics are exempted. It is also learnt that the modalities of implementing the notification are yet to be formulated.
The Chamber said that it came to know from some of the manufacturing and trading sectors that it is very difficult to switch over to other ways of packing immediately. All the sectors have to plan and find out source of alternate packing modalities suited to their products.
On behalf of all manufacturing/trading segment of this region, the Chamber has requested the Government to extend implementation of this notification for a period of further six months effective from January 2021.
This time extension will help everyone who are all now affected severely due to Covid-19 pandemic, lockdown, closure etc., to develop alternate packing material. Chamber said that it will also collect the views and suggestions from all sectors and will make a detailed representation to the Tamil Nadu Government.