573kg banned single-use plastic seized in Gurugram raids

HSPCB and MCG teams imposed fines on wholesalers in Khandsa and Bhundahera as enforcement against illegal SUP stockpiling intensifies.

Around 573 kilograms of banned single-use plastic (SUP) were seized over the past two days from informal markets in Khandsa and Bhundahera, officials said on Tuesday.

573kg banned single-use plastic seized in Gurugram raids

The drive was conducted by the joint teams of the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) and Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) in a bid to reduce the use of SUPs mostly in the form of unauthorised cutlery items used at functions, officials aware of the matter said.

Akansha Tanwar, HSPCB’s regional officer in Gurugram (north) region, said the latest crackdown was on a wholesaler who had stored around 373 kgs of SUP in Udyog Vihar Phase-I. “Other than imposing a penalty of ₹25,000, the board will press for blacklisting the seller for hoarding banned SUP materials, mostly in the form of forks, spoons and cutlery,” Tanwar said.

In 2022, Haryana had banned the distribution, stocking and sales of several SUP items, including plastic bags, straws, cups, expanded polystyrene (EPS) products and beverage packaging made of low-micron plastic.

On Monday, the board officials imposed similar fines on two vendor-cum-wholesalers in Khanda Mandi, who were found stocking 200 kgs of SUP. “Enforcements will now be stepped up to penalise big hoarders in the coming days,” a senior board official said.

Earlier on Friday last week, the civic authorities were directed to increase enforcement against SUPs during a review meeting of environment norms in the district. The recovered SUPs will be stored at a facility maintained by the MCG before being sent to a waste-to-energy (WtE) plant in Sonepat, said officials.

According to HSPCB data for 2025, the plastic waste generation in the state rose to 38% from 27% in 2022-23. The waste increased to nearly 180,000 tonnes from 130,000 tonnes, of which 14% reached landfills.