Bhubaneswar: Ban on usage of single-use plastic in urban areas of Odisha will come into effect from tomorrow on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti. The Forest and Environment Department has issued marching orders in this regard.

The ban will be imposed on polythene carry bags of any shape, thickness and size (excluding compostable); Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET/PETE) bottles of less than 200 ml capacity; single-use disposable cutleries made up of thermocol (polystyrene), polyurethane and similar products; or plastic such as dish, spoon, cup, plate, glass, fork, bowl, pouch to store liquid and container of any size and shape except for packing and selling of milk and other ancillary milk products; and thermocol decorative materials, an official notification said.

Vendors shall not be allowed to use polythene sheets of less than 50 micron thickness for storing, transporting, dispensing or packaging of any article or commodity or food items, consumables, packaging of milk and milk products and edible oil in sealed manner. This excludes any plastic carrying and transporting garbage and containers like cup for milk products including curd and ice-creams etc, polythene packing materials used in healthcare sector like medicines, blood transportation bags, syringes, sample and specimen bags, resalable bags, medical instruments and accessories, the notification added.

Earlier, ban on plastic usage had come into force in six cities of the state– Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Berhampur, Rourkela, Sambalpur and Puri– on October 2, last year.