Tough penalties for people caught selling or buying banned items of plastic, including disposable polystyrene plates and plastic shopping bags are being levied in Mumbai. India’s commercial nerve-centre has banned plastic since June 2018.
Hence, by the end of last year, nearly 400 companies and manufacturing plants dealing in the banned materials were shut down in the city. And the state of Maharashtra has issued a directive to large companies asking them to create a reserve fund for buying back and recycling single-use plastics used in food packaging.
Offenders caught first time can be fined Rs 5,000, a stiff penalty for Mumbai’s large population of migrants which survives on the city’s thriving street food culture. Later-time offenders face a fine of Rs 25,000 and the possibility of spending three months in jail.
“Strict policy and regulations will make the plastic ban work and can put an end to usage of plastic in daily routine and awareness from government will result in drastic decline," said Dr D A Prabakar, chairman, Federation of Consumer Organisations - Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry.
Meanwhile, Tahir Sufi, professor & head, Department of Hospitality Management, Dehradun, commented, “If government provides alternatives apart from jute bags, innovative products with reasonable price and subsidy in jute bags would benefit the merchants.”
Yet progress is visible on some fronts. The restaurant and food service industries are among the most heavily impacted. Swiggy, one of India’s largest food delivery companies, has vowed to provide its restaurant partners in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu with sustainable packaging.
