Maharashtra government to install 2,500 plastic bottle crushing machines across state

Of these, 500 will be installed in Mumbai alone

To ensure proper disposal of plastic bottles, the state government will soon install 2,500 plastic bottle crushing machines at public places with larger footfall areas across the state.

The machines will be installed at tourist spots, gardens, markets and other areas with higher footfall.

Of these, 500 will be installed in Mumbai. Local bodies, which are the implementing agencies for the plastic ban, will select places for installation.

A senior civic official said, “We are getting more machines, around 2,000, to install across the state. We need maximum machines at public places. Two different machines have been installed at the BMC headquarters for demonstration and it has received a good response.”

The machines, which the state will obtain through corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds, will be installed at tourist spots, gardens, markets and other areas with higher footfall. One of the members of the plastic manufacturing associations confirmed the development, saying, “There is no pre-decided number yet, but maximum machines will be placed in public. We are looking forward to meeting the government and to request it to exempt more items from the plastic ban, as it will affect lakhs of jobs across the state.”

The state government, through a notification on March 23, imposed a ban on purchase, sale, distribution and storage of single-use plastic along with thermocol items, and polyethylene, terephthalate, and polyethylene terephthalate bottles of less than 0.5 litres. It later lifted the ban on all small PET and PETE bottles with a carrying capacity of less than half a litre.