29 Jun 2022  |   04:24am IST

Say goodbye to single use plastic products

The ban on the use of single use plastic products could have an effect on restaurants in the State, many of which use it while serving food or beverages. Restaurateurs spoke about their plans to deal with this change in law

Ajit John

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ban on single-use plastic products will be imposed from July 1. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), 30 single-use plastic items have been listed by the government body under the Ministry of Environment. The ban also extends to the sale, stocking, distribution and export of such plastic products. Some parties have asked for a grace period but the government seems determined to enforce and ensure that everyone follows it. For the hospitality industry in the state which is an important aspect of the local economy, it can mean changes. Plastic is consumed everyday in restaurants and this could mean replacing it with something else that fits into their budget.

Praveen Mathias, Manager at Mustard said they don’t use plastic entirely. He said, “We use eco-friendly materials generally though we have to use plastic in some cases because there are no alternatives. It is a challenge sourcing material that is needed. Material comes from Gujarat and Mumbai. We depend on manufacturers to come up with something new. And yes we have to look at the price because this is a price sensitive market. We will have to calculate how much we can stomach when we buy alternatives and how much can be passed to the client”.

He said right now nothing had been done about the prices but perhaps some time in the future, they will have to cross that bridge.

Nikhil Mirkar from NickyM kitchen said they were always conscious of being environmentally conscious. He said, “We have talked to our suppliers in Mumbai and we use cardboard for sandwiches which are delivered but for our diners we use regular cutlery. We use plastic for trays which shall be replaced. The cost will go up and that will be gradually incorporated into the menu. We are a small business, a 20 seat restaurant. We cannot absorb such an expense.”

Anuj Shah the man behind Sappadu said they were in the take away business and always used biodegradable material wherever possible but the manufacturers had to also find solutions. He said “Some stop-gap arrangements will have to be done. We use plastic to transport chutney. With regards to the cost implications, eventually everything will be passed on in steps. Paper and bio-degradable material has to be used by everyone”.

Garcian de Souza who runs the village bistro said they were not very affected. He said, “We have been very conscious of what we use. Yes we will have to move from plastic straws to some other material. We use brown paper bags anyway. See a lot of the more responsible restaurants were always conscious. It is the small-time restaurants who are going to be hit very hard”.

Shivani who is the chef and owner of Gourmestan in a statement said, “At Gourmestan, we have always been environmentally conscious. We use biodegradable food grade pet cans for storage and 52 microns food grade and biodegradable plastic which is approved by the government of India already. I believe plastic definitely requires a ban as it’s hazardous to the environment overall and the businesses who are actively using plastic will have to look for biodegradable options like bamboo, sugarcane leaf based restaurant ware. The only way to manage the above is to go back to basics by using things materials that can be recycled and or reused. There are plenty of eco-friendly serve ware options available in the market and people with small businesses will have to rework their business plans and costs to make sure they serve the natural way without harming the environment”.

Rahul Khanna, Partner at Mamagoto in a statement said, “At Azure Hospitality we believe in always being environmentally friendly so the ban on plastic won’t actually impact us in any way as most of the products used by us are biodegradable. Furthermore we also give bamboo cutlery along with packaging that meets biodegradable norms for our home deliveries, in recycled paper bags for all our brands.”

The ban is a move in the right direction but the cost will be borne by the paying customer as always.