Plastic-wrapped single-use items made of paper, aluminium banned

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has decided to ban single-use disposable cups, dishes, plates, glasses, forks, bowls and containers made of paper and aluminium and laminated or coated with plastic, a statement released by the chief minister’s office on Tuesday contended

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has decided to ban single-use disposable cups, dishes, plates, glasses, forks, bowls and containers made of paper and aluminium and laminated or coated with plastic, a statement released by the chief minister’s office on Tuesday contended.

Social worker Ashok Kurmi, a pharma manager, raises awareness on plastic ban by the government at the vegetable market at King's Circle (Satish Bate/HT PHOTO)

These products will fall within the ambit of the plastic ban imposed by the state in March 2018.

The use of plastic causes serious problems to the environment and taking this into consideration, chief minister Eknath Shinde amended the plastic ban rule to include plastic-coated and laminated products, the statement read.

A notification issued by the state environment department on July 15 amended the March 23, 2018 plastic-ban notification and included “plastic-coated and laminated disposable dish, cups, plates, glasses, fork, bowl, container (single use products) made from paper or aluminium etc” in the products that are now banned in the state.

“Once coated with plastic or laminated, such products become non-biodegradable material thus it was decided to ban them,” a senior official from the environment department said.

Prior to this, the manufacture, usage, storage, distribution, wholesale and retail sale, import and transportation of all kinds of plastic bags (with or without handles) as well as single-use disposable items made of plastic and thermocol (including dish, cups, plates, glasses, fork, bowls, forks, spoons, straw, containers, non-woven polypropylene bags, pouches to store liquid, plastic to wrap or store products and packaging of food items and small PET and PETE bottles with capacities less than half litre) were banned in accordance with the Maharashtra Plastic and Thermocol Products (Manufacture, Usage, Sale, Transport, Handling and Storage) notification of 2018.

Ashok Shingare, member secretary, Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) said that the notification cleared up the confusion that existed regarding plastic-coated single-use products made out of other material. “The fresh notification clears all doubts and the plastic ban can be implemented in letter and spirit,” Shingare said, adding, “Manufacturing, production, storage, stocking, sale and use all plastic coated or laminated single use disposable products made up of paper and aluminium have been banned in the state.”

Not following the ban is penalised: First-time offenders are fined for ₹5,000 while second-time offenders are fined ₹10,000 and third-time offenders are charged ₹25,000 or three-month imprisonment or both.