MCC forms 10 teams to check sale of single-use plastics

Civic body seizes 60 kg of banned plastic, collects ₹23,200 in fine

Since the ban on single-use plastics, which was notified by the Ministry of Environment on August 2021, came into effect on July 1, Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) has seized 60 kg of such plastics and collected a fine of ₹23,200 from sellers and users, according to the Commissioner of the civic body Akshy Sridhar.

The civic body has formed 10 teams to check the sale of single-use plastics in all 60 wards in the city. The teams so far conducted 58 raids, he said in a release.

The State government banned single-use plastic products on March 11, 2016.

The Commissioner said that many traders are selling non-woven polypropylene carry bags by projecting them as cotton bags. Those bags have been made using synthetic plastic polymer polypropylene and hence cannot be recycled. The non-woven polypropylene carry bags have been banned.

He said that the civic body is announcing about the ban through vehicles which are collecting garbage from the doorsteps of houses and other establishments. It is mainly concentrated on the central business district area.

The Centre defines it as an object made of plastic that is intended to be used “only once” before being disposed off or recycled. For the purposes of the ban, there is a list of 21 items that come under the definition of single-use plastic, including ear buds with plastic sticks, plastic sticks for balloons, plastic flags, candy sticks, ice-cream sticks, thermocol for decoration, plates, cups, glasses, cutlery such as forks, spoons, knives, straw, trays, wrapping or packing films around sweet boxes, invitation cards, and cigarette packets, plastic or PVC banners less than 100 microns, stirrers.

Unlike thicker and denser plastic material, single-use plastic objects being light and flexible are less amenable to being recycled. While 99% of plastic is recycled, they constitute heavier plastics that are likely to be collected by ragpickers and plastic waste recyclers. Single use plastics do not provide an incentive enough for the effort needed to collect them and hence they lie around, leach their toxins into the soil and cause environmental damage in both land and sea.