The Bombay High Court on Wednesday questioned why plastic flowers were not included in the list of single-use plastic items banned by the Union government.

A bench of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Bharati Dangre asked whether the Centre considered plastic flowers recyclable or biodegradable. The court was hearing a petition by the Growers' Flower Council of India (GFCI), which requested a ban on plastic flowers.

The Bombay High Courtquestioned whether plastic flowers can be recycled or if they are biodegradable, as the government claims. The court further said that plastic flowers are flimsy and asked if they should be added to the banned list of single-use plastics.

Thejudges referred to a government rule that bans single-use plastic items that cannot be recycled or are not biodegradable. They asked, "Are you sure plastic flowers shouldn’t be included in this list?"

The court gave the Growers' Flower Council of India (GFCI) two weeks to respond to the government's stand.
The petition stated that plastic flowers used for decoration are usually 30 microns thick, while the law bans plastic items below 100 microns. Since plastic flowers are not mentioned in the ban, thepetition urged the government to include them.

The GFCI is a group of flower growers, exporters, suppliers, florists, wedding decorators, and others in the flower business.