A ban announced by the Delhi Government on plastic has come into effect in the national capital from Friday.

The government has announced a ban on manufacture, sale and use of most types of plastic bags in the city. The ban has come into effect after the Delhi High Court did not agree with the petition from the All-India Plastic Industries Association to put a stay on the order.

The petition challenged the authority of the Delhi Government to notify The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, which is a legislation of the central government. It also alleged that the blanket ban would affect the employment of lakhs of employees engaged in the plastic bags industry as the ban would close down the industry and its members will have to shut down units in the city.

The Delhi Government had said in a notification on October 23 that nobody can manufacture, import, store, sell or transport any kind of plastic bags, even those used for covering magazines, books, invitation cards and for collecting garbage in the city. The ban is to come into effect on November 22 this year.

Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said that the government will work to create awareness about the issue.