Banned or restricted substance
Which single-use plastics are banned in India?
Last checked 21 September 2026
Nineteen single-use plastic items, including plastic cutlery, plates, cups, straws, earbuds, balloon sticks and wrapping film for sweet boxes, have been prohibited in India since 1 Jul 2022 under the Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021.
- Classification
- Prohibited (Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006)
- Decided by
- Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change; Central Pollution Control Board
- Reference
- Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021, notified 12 Aug 2021; prohibition effective 1 Jul 2022
- Latest action
- 31 December 2022
- Last checked
- 21 September 2026
Photo: Free mixed spice local market by rawpixel (cc0). All photo credits.
Safe here, banned there: what India's food regulations actually say
Our team has checked this record against the published reports, last on 21 September 2026. The government order itself is not published online, or we have not found it yet, so we link the best public report. If you have the order, send it to us and we will link it instead.
Scope. A record here does not by itself mean a product or company is unsafe or banned today. Regulatory actions can apply to one batch, one formulation, one period or one state. Always check the linked government document for the current position, and tell us if something is out of date. How we label records.
Below: Blacklisted's explanationWe explain what has been reported. The report above is the best source we hold.
Key facts
- Effective
- 1 Jul 2022
- Items (food-related)
- Plastic plates, cups, glasses, forks, spoons, knives, straws, stirrers, trays; wrapping or packing film around sweet boxes; plastic sticks for candy and ice-cream
- Items (other)
- Earbuds with plastic sticks, balloon sticks, plastic flags, thermocol for decoration, PVC banners under 100 micron, invitation cards and cigarette packet film
- Carry bags
- Minimum thickness 75 micron from 30 Sep 2021 and 120 micron from 31 Dec 2022
- Not covered
- Multilayer packaging, PET bottles, tetra-pak straws
India's single-use plastic ban is an environmental measure rather than a food-safety one, but because most of the banned items touch food it belongs in any list of prohibitions a consumer meets at the table. The Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021, notified on 12 Aug 2021, identified nineteen items with low utility and high littering potential and prohibited their manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use from 1 Jul 2022.
The food-related items are plastic plates, cups, glasses, cutlery, straws, stirrers and trays; the wrapping or packing film used around sweet boxes; and plastic sticks for candy and ice-cream. The rest of the list covers earbuds with plastic sticks, balloon sticks, plastic flags, thermocol decorations, thin PVC banners and film on invitation cards and cigarette packets. Separately, plastic carry bags had to be at least 75 micron thick from 30 Sep 2021 and 120 micron from 31 Dec 2022.
Multilayer packaging and PET bottles are not covered, and straws attached to tetra-pak cartons were the subject of an industry representation whose outcome is to be confirmed. Enforcement rests with state pollution control boards and municipal bodies, not FSSAI.
What this means for you
Restaurants and delivery
Plastic cutlery, straws and plates in a food delivery are non-compliant. Paper and wood alternatives are what the rules expect.
Enforcement is by pollution boards
This is an environment law, not a food-safety one. FSSAI is not the enforcing agency.
This is a record of official orders, not medical advice. Do not stop a prescribed medicine without asking your doctor or pharmacist.
Official sources and primary records
- News