India shelves plan to ban single-use plastic

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's bold plan to tackle single-use plastics has been scrapped. In a sweeping Independence Day address on August 15, Modi suggested that he would ban single-use plastic across the country from Wednesday, the 150th anniversary of the birth of independence leader Mahatma Gandhi. The prohibited single-use items potentially included plastic bags, cups, plates, small bottles, straws and certain sachets. But those plans now appear to have been shelved. An official announcement was expected Wednesday to coincide with the anniversary of Gandhi's birth, but rather than a blanket ban, the move is now being touted as an awareness campaign. With its 1.3 billion population, India consumed an estimated 15.5 million tons of plastic in 2016-17. That number is predicted to increase to 20 million tons by 2019-20.