New Delhi, Oct. 16 -- Air India announced that it stopped using single-use plastic and replaced packaging with eco-friendly paper and wooden cutlery, as the government ramped up its "clean India" mission.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day speech in mid-August said eradicating single-use plastics was a key goal and called on people to take the "first big step" on October 2, the birthday of independence hero Mahatma Gandhi.

The water bottles with 200ml capacity were immediately replaced by larger 1,500ml containers. Single-use plastics such as cutlery and pouches were then removed from flights in two stages from October 2 and replaced by paper or wooden versions.

"In the first phase it will implement it in all flights ...