On February 28, state Environment Minister Aaditya Thackeray told the legislative council that Maharashtra would be rid of single-use plastic items by May 1.
In May 2018, Maharashtra imposed a ban on manufacture, use, sale, distribution and storage of plastic materials such as one-time-use bags, spoons and plates, among others.
The BMC then began an intensive drive in June 2018, seizing banned plastic items and recovering fines from offenders. However, the crackdown gradually fizzled out due to lack of clarity and awareness, and non-availability of alternatives.
Following Thackeray’s assurance, the BMC has again revived its plastic ban drive from March 1. FPJ asked its readers - Do you feel the BMC’s renewed action against single-use plastic will last and prove effective? Here’s a look at what a cross-section of Mumbaikars had to say:
BMC will need to be serious this time and be consistent in its action against offenders, as single-use plastic is still used clandestinely. Also, as citizens, we need to share some responsibility and refuse to accept such items from shops and vendors, and carry our own reusable bags to the markets.
—Mahendra Hemdev, businessman
Ideally, citizens should take it on themselves to voluntarily stop using such plastic items, and should have opened their eyes by now, after the havoc that the 2005 tsunami caused. But if the municipality plans to enforce the ban on single-use plastic items, its crackdown against offenders should be as aggressive as it is against parking violations.
The BMC should get this done on priority. Once the BMC is bent on getting things in order, it would simply take a week to bring people on the same page.
—Prerna Rane, company secretary
I do not think that this renewed policy would make any difference. The BMC had banned single-use plastic in 2018, and we are in 2020 now, and we can still see people using plastic day in and day out. The civic body claims to have acted against many, but drains still get clogged with plastic items.
—Heena Khan, marketing executive
BMC is unable to collect the pending bills that run into crores of rupees in the form of property tax dues or pending water bills. At a time when crores of rupees of the BMC are stuck in YES bank, they turn to collect fines from the public for the use of plastic items.
Now, not only in BMC but in state government too, Shiv Sena is a ruling party. Let them ban and act first against the manufacturing units in the state that are producing plastic with thickness than 50 microns. This move will prove more effective than this so-called action which will only increase corrupt practice.
Already, a huge quantity of plastic has been confiscated by the BMC, and they do not know what to do with it.
—Nikhil Desai, retired mechanical engineer
It's really a good idea to prohibit single-use plastic as it is bad for the environment. BMC should be strict and should be stick to its plan for stopping any use at all of such plastic items.
I guess there is already a ban against such plastic items, and the fact that a renewed drive against it had to be started shows that it had been forgotten after some time. It will take time; but yes, BMC can definitely enforce a complete ban on use of single-use plastic items.
—Usha Singh, teacher
It is not at all possible that the enforcement of the ban against single-use plastic items will last, as the mentality of people will not change, and they will bounce back to their regular ways and start using the harmful plastic anyway. People should learn to embrace the change and accept what comes their way.
—Sharvari Gadekar, student
This is one of the best decisions of the BMC. At least, it will ensure that our beloved city gets rid of plastic waste. One can see that Mumbaikars have welcomed the earlier decision to ban plastic. It is evident in the markets, where most of the shops are using cloth bags.
—Sonali Patil, Chembur resident
I can only say that when the BMC has failed to achieve its goal of making Mumbai plastic-free in the last nearly two years, then how can it make our city 100 per cent free from single-use plastic? At the end of the day, the target would only be achieved when we as citizens give up plastic, because BMC would continue with what it has been doing since all these years.
—Tarun Sarsar, student
Just like all other initiatives that the BMC has started, this will also tank after some time. I am not being negative, but this is what the municipality has been doing all along.
They start a new thing, lose interest and then renew it after a while after it has died down. Earlier, there was a hullabaloo over plastic, then parking spaces, and now they have gone back to plastics.
—Girish Surve, animator
I don't think the action against plastic items, which is again being implemented by the BMC will last for a long time, because people know that BMC comes up with ideas and later on forgets about them.
Not only single-use plastic; there are many things which are prohibited, but is the ban on them being successfully implemented? BMC itself will forget its own orders.
After that, everything will be normal again. If they really want to ban single-use plastic, why don't they directly take action against the manufacturers?
—Surekha Waghmare, travel agency coordinator
The plastic ban imposed by the BMC will be effective, as maybe they will deploy on-field marshals to keep a check on who is using single-use plastic. Currently, they have marshals at railway stations and public places who charge fines from people who litter, and this plan has worked out quite effectively.
Similarly, they can keep a tab on people using single-use plastic and curb pollution caused by such items.
—Bhupendra Pandey, entrepreneur
This plan of banning single-use plastic will only prove effective if the BMC acts against the retailers selling single-use plastic materials. They cannot charge a fine to citizens who buy a bottle of non-recyclable plastic.
Instead, they should not permit retailers to sell such plastic materials in the first place in order to make this initiative effective.
—Mangesh Anand, courier service staff
