The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation is a Mumbai civic body that may soon implement a ‘green tax’ on manufacturers and end users of plastic bags and bottles that do not meet the required grade. Currently plastic bags thinner than 50 microns which are viewed as the chief cause of blocked drains, are banned and the proposal is that thickness and size restrictions be revised.
Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Kerala are examples of Indian states where the blanket ban on plastic carry bags has been successfully implemented. If the proposal goes through there will be amendments made to the Maharashtra Non Biodegradable Garbage Control Ordinance of 2006. It will also empower civic employees to take legal action against distributors, manufactures, suppliers and end users of the banned plastic.
