Even as the Chandigarh administration had banned 18 categories of single-use plastic in September 2019, it has now passed a notification classifying three of these categories as "extended producer responsibility".

These plastics include refill pouch with 500ml capacity, straws attached with tetrapacks and multilayered packaging used for foods/snacks packing.

UT director of environment, Debendra Dalai, said, "The decision was taken after receiving representations from industries saying that there were no other viable alternatives available."

Now, the producers themselves will be responsible for ensuring they are disposed of properly. However, Dalai said that the move is only temporary and if they find a viable alternative, they may ban the three categories again.

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