Plastic ban in Mumbai: BMC collects 1.42 lakh kg of banned plastic

The civic body, however,has not been able to put a mechanism to recycle the collected material

With the plastic ban coming into effect from June 24, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has collected 1.42 lakh kg of banned plastic from across the city. While the BMC has been aggressively collecting the banned plastic items, it has not been able to put a mechanism to recycle the collected material.

BMC had set up 24 collection bins across the city to collect plastic waste. (HT PHOTO)

Prior to the plastic ban, BMC had 36 segregation centres to collect plastic waste. The civic body had set up 24 additional plastic collection bins after the implementation of the plastic ban. However, the civic body has not been able to recycle the collected plastic as there are no plastic recyclers in the city.

“We have contacted a couple of recyclers who are registered with Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB). There are two in Bhiwandi, however, none in Mumbai. We are still working out the details on how to recycle the collected plastic,” said Kiran Dighavkar, nodal officer, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.

Of the 1.42 lakh kg of plastic waste collected in the city, Bandra (West) led the way with 30,460kg of plastic being discarded from the area. BMC has appealed the citizens to contact the civic body on 1800222357 to get the plastic collected till June 23.

The ban on plastic carry bags and other single-use materials was imposed by the state via a government resolution on March 23 this year. Following this, it gave citizens a three-month leeway to get rid of plastic items in order to gradually move towards environment-friendly materials. BMC had also given citizens a buffer period to adjust to the non-use of plastic items.

The banned items include all kinds of plastic bags (with or without handle), disposable cutlery items made of plastic and thermocol such as plates, cups, glass and bowls.