State Wide Plastic Ban : All you need to know

Plastic Ban Items:

The notification applies to the manufacture, usage, transport, distribution, wholesale, retail, storage and import of the below mentioned products:

• Plastic Bags (with and without Handles)
• Disposable Plastic Items (Spoons, Straws,Forks, Cups, Glasses, Containers)
• Disposable Thermocol Items (Plates, Glasses, Bowls, Containers)
• Non-woven Polypropylene Bags
• Plastic Cups & Pouches (for storing liquid)
• Plastic Wrap (for packaging or storing products)
• Plastic Packaging for food items
• Plastic Decorations
• Thermocol Decorations

Plastic Ban Applies to:

The notification states that the ban applies t0:

• Street Food Vendors
• Vegetable Sellers
• Grocery Shops
• Cinema Halls
• Restaurants
• Places of Worship
• Wholesalers
• Retailers
• Bus Stands, Railway Stations and other public places.

Exempted Items:

The following items have been exempted as per the notification:

• Plastic or Plastic Bags used for packaging of Medicines
• Compostable or Biodegradable Plastics
• Food grade Virgin Plastic Bag not less than 50 microns in thickness (used for packaging milk, water bottles)
• Plastic Covers or Wraps (used to wrap/cover material during manufacturing stage)
• Plastic used for plant nurseries, horticulture, agriculture
• Plastic used for handling of Solid Waste (at homes, for example)
• Manufacture of plastic and plastic bags in Special Economic Zones or Export-Centric Units

(It is mandatory for manufacturers to prominently print on plastic items the purpose they are to be used exclusively for.)

Buy Back System for Recycling

• To encourage development of collection mechanisms and ensure proper recycling of such used bags, milk dairies, retail sellers and traders will buy back such used milk bags with predefined buy back price printed on it.
• Milk dairies, retail sellers and traders will ensure that such buy back mechanism and collection and recycling system shall establish within three months from the date of publication of this regulation.

Authorized offices to Enforce the Ban:

• District Collectorate
• Officials from Zilla Parishad
• Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB)
• Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation
• Health, Education
• Police Officials
• Traffic Police
• District Supply Officer
• State Tax Officials
• Range Forest Officers