A region in northeast India has banned single-use plastic bags and is taking strong steps to enforce the restrictions.
Northeast News reports that officials in Eastern West Khasi Hills, a district within the state of Meghalaya, have banned the manufacture, import, sale, and use of plastic bags thinner than 120 microns, or roughly one-tenth of a millimeter.
The region has also formed a task force, made up of members of the local government, pollution board, and police force, which is conducting surprise inspections to ensure local businesses comply with the ban. So far, more than two tons of banned plastic products have been confiscated during these inspections.
"These surprise checks are being carried out to identify and remove banned plastic items from the market," an official with the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board told Northeast News. "We are also promoting eco-friendly alternatives."
These enforcements in Eastern West Khasi Hills piggyback on single-use plastic bans that have been introduced across India in the past several years in an effort to curb the country's plastic-pollution problem.
In 2022, India banned 19 single-use plastic items, including straws, cups, plates, knives, and forks. In the years since, regions across the country have expanded those restrictions, adding bans on small plastic water bottles and plastic packaging. Popular tourist areas have also banned plastic food containers, sachets, and bakery boxes.
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India is also requiring large beverage companies, such as Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, to use bottles with increasing amounts of recycled material, topping out at 60% by 2029.
A 2024 study showed that India is, by far, the largest plastic-polluting country in the world. It releases more than 10 million tons of plastic emissions per year, or roughly 20% of the world's output. That amount is more than 150% higher than any other country.
All of that pollution not only plays a large role in Earth's not-so-gradual warming, but also has a huge impact on everyday life across India.
According to IQAir, which monitors air quality across thousands of cities worldwide, India is home to six of the world's 10 most-polluted cities.
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