India’s financial capital, is facing massive waterlogging, thanks to incessant rains since Sunday.The BMC has set up a toll-free helpline (1800-222-357) for citizens so that they can collect banned plastic and hand it over to garbage collectors.
MUMBAI: Maharashtra government has implemented a ban on plastic products from 23rd June 2018.
The legislation kicked in at the weekend, and also includes a ban on plastic bags and products made out of polystyrene.
The Maharashtra government has banned the use of single disposable items made from plastic such as spoons, forks, cups, glasses.
Plastic bags and wrap used for packaging or storing products too are covered under the ban.Small PET bottles can be used, packaging materials for medicines, solid waste, and agriculture sector, bags used to plant nurseries, food grade virgin plastic bags over 50 microns, milk pouches over 50 microns, wrapping at manufacturing stage.
After all, people had come to depend upon items made of plastic in almost every sphere. From ordering food online, to buying groceries, almost every conceivable good came wrapped in plastic.
The maximum city’s well-known civic body on Wednesday has put out a toll-free number 1800-222357.
BMC is also planning to set up several centres for plastic-bottle crushing units. It is contemplating a plan to involve citizens in the act by announcing gifts as rewards to participants.
Disposable cups, plates, spoons, forks, glasses and containers are among the items prohibited along with other single-use items and plastic packaging used to wrap and store products.
Plastic bottles of less than 500ml have been exempted but a deposit is payable and a buy-back scheme has been put in place.The rules, in force since Saturday, prohibit the use of disposable plastic items such as bags, cutlery, cups and bottles under a certain size.
As per the notification, violators will be fined Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000 for the first and second-time offence. A third-time offender will have to shell out Rs 25,000 and may also face imprisonment for a period of three months.
BMC has assigned as many as 200 officials across the city licensed to take action against the plastic ban offenders.
In 2025, it is estimated that the annual input of plastic waste from land to ocean will be over 16 million metric tons almost 100 bags of plastic per foot of coastline in the world.
