In a significant move to intensify its battle against plastic pollution, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is gearing up to confront manufacturers for the first time. Officials revealed that the PMC's solid waste management (SWM) department has submitted a groundbreaking proposal to civic chief Rajendra Bhosale. This proposal, also forwarded to the PMC legal department, outlines plans to take action against units producing single-use plastic both within and outside the municipal limits, with cooperation from other governing bodies.
Sandip Kadam, head of the PMC solid waste management department, emphasized the importance of targeting the source of illegal plastic products to prevent their circulation in the market. He stated, "Though there are special teams to check the sale, exchange, and use of banned plastic, green signal to the proposal will help target the source of illegal plastic products and prevent it from entering the market."
The move comes in the wake of the Maharashtra government's proactive stance on plastic regulation. The state declared a ban on plastics in March 2018, subsequently implementing the Plastic Waste Management Rules, in 2016. Reinforcing this, the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) issued a notification on March 12, directing the civic body to ramp up vigilance on the production, sale, usage, and exchange of banned single-use plastic.
PMC's enforcement measures include fines of ?5,000 for first-time offenders, ?10,000 for second-time violations, and ?25,000 for third-time or repeated offenders. A civic official disclosed that since January 2024, PMC has collected 823 kg of illegal plastic. This crackdown marks a pivotal step in PMC's ongoing efforts to combat plastic pollution and safeguard the environment for future generations.
