BMC seizes 87 kg banned of single-use plastic, imposes fines worth Rs 2.95 lakh

On the first day of its drive against single-use plastic, Mumbai's civic authorities recovered 87 kilograms of prohibited item. The drive has been undertaken as per the directive of the environment department in coordination with Maharashtra Pollution Control Board and police, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said in a release.

The drive will continue in full swing. On the first day of the drive, civic teams checked 1,159 establishments and found 59 cases of violation of the notification against single use plastic. These teams seized 87 kilograms of single use plastic and collected Rs 2.95 lakh in fines. The fine is Rs 5,000 in each case, it said.

The BMC has formed 24 different 5-member teams, one for each word, for this drive and various establishments like malls, shops, hawkers and other units are being checked, an official said. In 2021, the Centre issued a notification banning manufacturing, use, sale, transportation, handling and storage of single use plastic, the release said.

It said, as per the government notifications, all kinds of with and without handle carry bags of all thickness, non-woven polypropylene bags having weight lesser than 60 gram per square metre (GSM), plastic and PVC banners of less than 100 microns, plastic and thermocol used for decoration are banned. Plastic dishes, bowls, containers, plates, cups, glasses, cutlery items, straws, stirrers and containers and bowls used for packaging in the hotels and restaurants are also banned as per the notification, the release highlighted.

As per the release, disposable dishes, cups, plates, glasses, cutlery, bowl, containers with plastic coating or plastic lamination are banned along with sweets packing boxes, invitation cards, cigarette box coverings, plastic sticks used for balloons, plastic flags, ear buds made of plastic, and ice-cream sticks are also banned.