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How Mumbai Is Coping With The Plastic Ban

Many switched to cloth and paper bags, but others are still trying to utilise their existing stock of plastic bags.

A customer holds a plastic bag containing chai as another drinks chai from a glass at a roadside stall in Mumbai. (Photographer: Dhiraj Singh/Bloomberg)
A customer holds a plastic bag containing chai as another drinks chai from a glass at a roadside stall in Mumbai. (Photographer: Dhiraj Singh/Bloomberg)

After the Maharashtra government enforced restrictions on single-use plastic items last month , vendors and shopkeepers are devising ways to replace the polluting material with alternatives.

Many have switched to cloth and paper bags, but others are still trying to utilise their existing stock of plastic bags, organised and unorganised retailers at Mumbai’s Dadar market told BloombergQuint.

Plastic carry bags, single-use disposables like cups, straws, plates, forks, spoons and spreadsheets, among others, were banned in the state starting March 18. Any violation will be punishable with up to three months of jail term and/or a penalty of Rs 5,000-25,000. The Maharashtra Plastics Manufacturing Association has already challenged this ban in the court citing loss of jobs and revenue.