Toothless ban: Single-use plastic rules 84% of surveyed sites in four cities

GUWAHATI

About 84% of 560 locations surveyed across four cities — one each in eastern, northeastern, northern, and western India — continue to use single-use plastic items banned across the country three years ago.

Toxics Link, a New Delhi-based environmental research and advocacy organisation, conducted a field study at specific locations across Bhubaneswar, Delhi, Guwahati, and Mumbai between April and August 2025. Its study report, released on Wednesday (March 25, 2026), highlighted major gaps in enforcement and called for nationwide urgent action to strengthen implementation.

The survey teams assessed the on-ground effectiveness of the ban across a wide range of establishments, including street vendors, juice stalls, markets, small restaurants, grocery stores, religious sites, railway platforms, and organised retail spaces.

According to the study, Bhubaneswar recorded the highest availability of banned single-use plastic items at 89% of the survey locations, closely followed by Delhi at 86%, Mumbai at 85%, and Guwahati at 76%.

“The continued presence of banned plastic items in a majority of locations suggests that enforcement remains inconsistent. Unless implementation improves and the supply of these products is controlled, the ban will not effectively address plastic littering and pollution,” Ravi Agarwal, the director of Toxics Link, said.

High customer demand

The study found widespread presence of banned single-use plastic items with sectoral variations: thin plastic carry bags, disposable plastic cutlery, cups, plates, and straws were widely found across informal markets and small commercial establishments.

Organised malls and larger retail outlets showed significantly better adherence to the ban compared to informal markets dominated by small vendors. The latter attributed it to a high customer demand and a higher cost of alternatives.

About 91% of the vendors across the survey sites said customers ask for carry bags. Interactions with vendors also revealed that 55% customers bring their own bags, but many customers still expect vendors to provide free carry bags.

Satish Sinha, the associate director of Toxics Link, said that customer preferences partly influence vendors’ reluctance to transition from plastics to alternatives, including paper cups and plates, wooden cutlery, steel utensils, aluminium foil containers, bagasse plates, cloth bags, and thicker reusable plastic bags above 120 microns.

“Customers perceive disposable plates and cutlery to be more hygienic than reusable items. Our survey found that this perception, along with the cost advantage of single-use plastics, continues to drive their use among small and local vendors, although the intensity of this preference varies between rural and urban areas,” he said.

Stronger steps sought

The report called for stronger national action by all stakeholders — government, single-use plastic manufacturers, retailers, and consumers — in line with the discussions at the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution held in Geneva, Switzerland in 2025.

It recommended more robust enforcement and monitoring mechanisms with regular inspections, coordinated action among regulatory agencies, and consistent penalties to ensure compliance with the ban on single-use plastics.

It also advocated improving the availability and affordability of sustainable alternatives by supporting local production, strengthening supply chains, and facilitating market access for environmentally friendly substitutes.

Other suggestions included promoting sustained public awareness and behaviour-change campaigns, and targeted support and incentives for small vendors to help them transition to alternative materials.

Published – March 26, 2026 06:52 pm IST