Journalism of Courage
Three months after a statewide ban was imposed on one-time-use plastic and carry bags, these items are resurfacing in city markets. While carry bags above 50-micron thickness have been exempted from the ban, bags with a thickness less than that are circulating in markets.
Vendors and retail stores usually use plastic bags of thickness less than 50 microns as they are cheap. To discourage their use, the Maharashtra government has set the over 50-micron thickness exemption limit. These bags cost more than the ones less than 50 microns.
But malls, grocery shops and bakeries both in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad are back to supplying goods in plastic carry bags that have been banned and it being a festive season, the circulation of such bags in markets have shot up.
Further, alongside the ban, the state government has announced a buyback scheme to discourage the use of plastic, under which people can go to any of a network of ‘collection centres’, where used plastic bags (over 50-micron thick), milk pouches and other items can be deposited in return for the price paid by the customer for the bag.
Accordingly, plastic bags above 50-micron thickness carry a disclaimer: ‘Thickness of this pouch is over 50 microns, weight above 2 grams. Buyback price for 1 kg of an empty pouch (in dry condition), Rs 15’. But in the absence of collection centres, there is no mechanism to return used plastic bags, even those with thickness over 50 microns.
“A buyback scheme will be successful only when there are collection centres and awareness among people,” said Manish Prasade, a resident from Wakad.
While both civic bodies are imposing heavy fines — Rs 5,000 on those found using banned plastic items — it seems to have little effect. “We are yet to come across the use of banned plastic but we will launch a drive and visit malls and shops once again,” said Vitthal Kate, corporator from Pimple Saudagar in Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC).
Parul Mehta, a homemaker from Aundh, said that while the ban on plastic was a good initiative, on the ground the results were yet to show. “Recently, I was provided with a plastic bag by a nearby bakery to carry a cake. I refused to buy it but other customers were okay with it,” said Mehta.
Kate said that the civic body was not doing enough to curb the use of plastic. “If the corporation can undertake regular inspections and increase the fine amount, it will act as a deterrent and people will switch to using cloth or other bags,” he said.
