Plastic disappears from shops on Day 1 of Maharashtra ban

Shiv Kumar

Tribune News Service

Mumbai, June 23

Day One of the ban on single-use plastic and thermocol items in Maharashtra appeared to be a success, with commercial establishments in Mumbai and other major cities pulling out plastic bags, food storage containers, cutlery, etc, from public distribution on Saturday.

Prominent retailers like D-Mart, Reliance Retail and Big Bazaar said they have stopped distribution of plastic bags for the past several weeks. Store attendants were seen handing out cotton bags and asking customers to wrap groceries in brown paper bags at many places.

Fishmongers operating cold storages were seen wrapping fish in aluminium foil before packing it in paper bags.

The loopholes in the rules banning single-use plastic and thermocol items ensured that dealers in white goods were wrapping high-value products like televisions, fridges and mobile phones in bubble-wrap packing material. Officials at the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation were clueless as to how bubble-wrap material was left out of the plastic ban. 

Civic officials in Mumbai said they would initially refrain from fining citizens  caught with a plastic bag or two. “Our first priority is to stop the supply of the banned plastic items and hence we will target manufacturers and distributors. Citizens and small traders will not be harassed,” Municipal Commissioner Ajoy Mehta said.

In Nashik, though, 72 people were fined and a sum of Rs 3.6 lakh collected as civic teams fanned out across the six municipal divisions.

In Mumbai, officials said they will begin fining violators from Monday and will spend the weekend educating people about the ban.

Businesses that have been using single-use plastic items have opted for alternatives. McDonald’s said it has replaced plastic cutlery with wood-based ones. Many restaurants said they have switched over to containers made of aluminium foil.

Enterprising businessmen have already introduced pouches made of aluminium foil to hold liquids like soups and juices that can be sealed with a rubber band.

Meanwhile, the government is looking to relax the ban on thermocol items after organisers of Ganesh pandals made a request. “But only on an undertaking to dispose these of properly,” Environment Minister Ramdas Kadam said.

He said the ban was necessary as Maharashtra generated 1,200 tonnes of plastic waste every day which found its way into the sea, in storm water drains and in the open.

The government has kept original packaging material out of the ban’s ambit. Hence, milk, oil and other liquids may still be wrapped in plastic.