Govt. mandates all plastic carry bags must have labelling
The Kerala High Court has declined to interfere with a government order mandating that all plastic carry bags must have labelling with details such as name and registration of the manufacturer and thickness of the material, and that no plastic carry bags below 40 microns be produced or marketed.
The court was closing a petition filed by the Vadakara Merchants’ Association, Kozhikode, challenging the government order.
The association sought a directive to all local self-government institutions to provide dustbins and plastic carry bag collection centres in residential areas. The court said that an interim order issued by a Division Bench showed that a detailed directive to prohibit dumping of waste from houses, hospitals, and hotels in plastic carry bags or in any non-biodegradable material had been given.
Dumping waste
The order further prohibited disposing or dumping waste in plastic carry bags or other non-biodegradable material in any public place or roadside and provided for prosecution of such persons found dumping waste by the roadside, the court pointed out.
The court closed the petition, granting the members of the association the liberty to ventilate their grievances, if any, with respect to manufacture of plastic carry bags and disposal of solid waste before the appropriate authorities/forums.
