Mumbai's plastic ban: What should people with the plastic they already have?

All polythene bags specified types of plastic sheets flags banners plastic and thermocol cutlery such as straws plates cups have been banned Representation pictureWith state environment minister Ramdas Kadam in his company Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray has projected the plastic ban in the state as a tool to protect the environment but questions remain about the effectiveness of the decision which will come into force from March 18 the Maharashtrian New Year Gudhi PadwaTo be implemented in two phases the ban will first apply to plastic items that have alternatives All polythene bags specified types of plastic sheets flags banners plastic and thermocol cutlery such as straws plates cups glasses forks bowls and spoons will be bannedAlso penalises consumersWhat adds some teeth to the new ban is that it provides for penalising the manufacturer stockists and consumers A penalty ranging from Rs 5000 to Rs 25000 and a jailterm of three months is expected to be an effective deterrent The decision was announced in the state legislature on FridayHowever bottles and milk pouches have been spared as of now with a rider that the manufacturers will have to recycle them A difficult task indeed because no manufacturer has made an attempt in this direction despite the existing law demanding they do so As a preventive measure consumers will be asked to pay a deposit before buying a bottle of water or soft drink or milk pouch and will have to give the used item to collection points and recover the depositThere is no clarity as to what people should do to discard the banned material in their homes shops and other establishments A civic official said the fear of punitive action may force people to dump such material anywhere putting the environment at a great riskThe question that remains unanswered is will a small deposit ndash Rs 1 for a plastic bottle and 50 paise for a milk pouch ndash deter consumers from throwing plastic items around And by when will manufacturers be able to recycle the bottles that they produce if they have not been doing so in the past many yearsRecycling to be compulsoryThackeray said manufacturers will have to sign an affidavit making recycling of their plastic products compulsory A problem here is that the state pollution control board and municipal corporationscouncils district collectorates and ZPs which will be responsible for the enforcement of the ban may not have adequate machinery and manpower to check any irregularities committed by the plastic production units said a government officialldquoThe fact that maximum water packaging plants are based in rural areas will make enforcement difficult There will be irregularities for surerdquo said the official Thackeray said plastic food packaging may not be replaced with biodegradable material soon because of lack of alternatives ldquoOther countries have alternatives I think our country will also get them in futurerdquo he saidCommittee to hear viewsKnowing that the ban is being imposed in haste the government will appoint a committee of experts to hear views from all quarters A notification to be issued before March 18 will have more detailsAlso read Maharashtra cabinet decides to impose ban on plastic from Gudhi PadwaCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates