Madras Superior Court bans 28 plastic products from Tennessee’s Western Ghats; orders vehicles to seize

The Madras High Court banned the manufacturing, storage, supply, transportation, sales and distribution of 28 plastic products in the Western Ghats – from Nilgiris to the Agasthiyar biosphere in the Kanniyakumari region and made it clear that the ban will apply to all mountainous areas, shelters, sanctuaries and Tiger Relevers.

A special judicial officer, N. Sathish Kumar and D. Bharatha Chakravarthy, ordered a fine to be imposed, and the visitors would ship products that were prohibited to the top of the mountain. The court also directed the authorities to seize motor vehicles transporting such prohibited products, in addition to canceling the permit granted to their licenses.

Prohibited products include disposable plastic bottles for edible water/juice, plastic sheets/plastic films for food packaging, plastic sheets for spreading on the dining table, plastic sheets, plastic coated cardboard, plastic coated paper cups, plastic tea cups, plastic glass cups, plastic cups and passion cups.

Plastic coated carry bags, non-woven carry bags, water bags/packaging bags, plastic straws, plastic flags, ear buds with plastic rods, plastic carry bags of various sizes and thicknesses, candy with plastic rods, ice cream with plastic rods and ice cream for decoration.

The bench for the partition says that tableware such as plastic forks, plastic spoons, plastic knives, wraps or packaging films, wraps or packaging films, wraps or packaging films, wraps or packaging films, wraps or packaging films, wraps or PVC banners less than 100 microns, as well as plastic agitators and plastic agitators and trays.

Blanket ban

The judge said that despite the state government imposing a blanket ban on single-use plastics across the state in 2018, which they ordered in 2019 bans on certain plastics in Nielgiris and Kodakaran, the banned product continues to hide it in buses and other cars, hiding them in the GHATH in the west.

Therefore, the judge directed the state government to invoke its powers under the Motor Vehicle Act and impose conditions in the transport permits, which clearly shows that if a vehicle is found to be transporting prohibited plastic products, these permits will be cancelled and they will be cancelled.

In the sale of branded cookies and snacks that are sold in non-biodegradable packaging, the judge ordered that suppliers on the top of the mountain must be instructed to cut the packaging and hand over the contents to customers in the covers of paper or other biodegradable materials.

Provide paper cover

Instruct local agencies to provide paper coverings to suppliers for free by utilizing the Green Fund. The court orders that collectors, local agencies and private companies must collectively propose a plan to safely dispose of multi-layer non-degradable packaging detained by suppliers.

“There is no single plastic wrapping paper, small scent bags or packaging materials that can be scattered in the Nielgiris, the Koda Canal Hills and the entire Western Ghats,” the bench said, highlighting the damage caused by these plastic materials on the original hills and the difficulties faced in collecting and selling such harmful substances.

After listening to the order, pass Amici Curiae T. Mohan, Chevanan Mohan, Rahul Balaji and M. Santhanaraman.

The commander ordered that drinking water dispensers must be carried out at all possible locations on the top of the hill, as well as reusable food containers, cups, reversing, cutlery and cylinders must be provided to visitors by implementing a refundable deposit system through a self-service group.

Mobile apps

A kit containing biodegradable materials can also be provided for visitors, and a mobile application can be developed to help visitors easily find the nearest water station or kiosk where they can get/return reusable containers as well as travel kits.

They said it is also necessary to encourage hill station suppliers to ensure their customers do not litter and comply with solid waste management rules in letters and spirit. After taking stock of the steps taken by the authorities, the judge decided to adopt further orders in the case on June 6, 2025.