The Delhi government will start a campaign on July 1 to persuade residents to abide by the city's ban on 19 single-use plastic (SUP) products.

Between July 1 and July 3, the department is also hosting a three-day fair in the Capital to promote alternatives to SUP, where locals, business owners, and NGOs can display goods that are viable substitutes for the banned material.

All states and union territories (UTs) were instructed to phase out SUPs in a scheduled manner by July 1, 2022, after the most recent announcement of the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2022, in February.

Among the prohibited items are earbuds with plastic sticks, balloon sticks made of plastic, flags made of plastic, candy sticks, ice cream sticks made of plastic, thermocol for decorations, plastic cutlery, cigarette packs made of plastic, stirrers made of plastic, and PVC banners with a thickness of fewer than 100 microns.

Inspections in industrial areas would be conducted by the environment department and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) to make sure compliance.

The DPCC previously requested that a survey be conducted by the Sriram Institute of Industrial Research to pinpoint Delhi's littering hotspots and calculate the amount of plastic garbage generated there. According to the officials, this will probably be finished within four months.

The officials revealed that the July 1-3 three-day fair will also feature a variety of competitions, including poster-making around the theme of plastic, video messages on alternatives to single-use plastic, quiz competitions, and think-o-vation, in which participants will have four minutes to present innovations that can aid in the phase-out of SUPs.

An official told the media that for the past three months, they have been running awareness campaigns, and makers, stockists, suppliers, and distributors of SUPs have been instructed to remove all of their inventory for these products. If not, they will be subject to punishment.

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