On World Environment Day this year, India's prime minister, Modi, has vowed to ban the use of disposable plastic products 2022 years ago, a promise that is seen as one of the most ambitious targets for global resistance to plastic pollution. After a 3-month grace period, the "plastic-restricted order" in Maharashtra, the second-largest population, came into effect late last week, and government inspectors went to the streets to issue fines for offending businesses.
However, the implementation of the plastic restriction order has revealed many abuses, such as unclear provisions and abuse of power by law enforcement officers, which have caused public and business complaints. March 23 This year, the Maharashtra state government issued a circular announcing the total ban on the use of plastic and polystyrene products, sales, transportation and storage. Plastic bags, all kinds of disposable food utensils and plastic decorations are within the prohibited range. The government requires the business to improve or eliminate the original inventory within 3 months. 23rd this month, the ' plastic limit order ' is formally implemented and administered and supervised by the Government Environmental Pollution Control Committee and local governments at all levels. The authorities will punish breach as appropriate, with a fine of 5000 Indian rupee (about 480 yuan) for the first offender, and double the penalty for recidivism.
If incorrigible, the third offender will not only be fined 25,000 rupees, but also may face 3 months in prison. The inspectors began to appear frequently on the streets of the city after the plastic restriction order came into effect, and gave the offending merchant a ticket relentlessly, CNN said. 24th, only the state capital of Bombay, more than 80 businesses were fined, a fine of up to 400,000 rupees. McDonald's, Starbucks and other well-known international catering companies are ' recruit ' to be fined. Local McDonald's franchisee said that the company has actually made a lot of adjustments, such as the use of wooden tableware, paper cups and environmental straw and so on. But the company was unable to escape the fate of the penalty because it could not find alternative packages for delivery services, such as plastic closures of beverages.
Starbucks, the coffee chain, was also said to have been fined, but the company did not comment. The implementation of the plastic restriction order has made many local people not adapt. Someone replaced the plastic bag with a cloth bag, and the merchant used the old newspaper to pack the goods. A Mumbai resident complained: ' It's too much trouble ... People here always use plastic bags to go out.
In addition, it is the rainy season in India, used plastic poncho residents have to replace the fiber or cloth substitutes for the rain, the whole body is easily soaked by rain. What is more troubling is that the plastic restriction order has been modified many times in the past 3 months, but every change has failed to be communicated in a timely manner, resulting in great confusion during the execution. Many businesses still do not know ' which plastic products under the specific conditions ' is allowed or prohibited use. According to the Mumbai Mirror, the Maharashtra State Government Advisory Committee decided on 20th to relax restrictions on plastic packaging in the retail sector, but the decision was not incorporated into the 23rd plastic restriction order in time. The government has not yet reached a consensus, and the folk are ' overwhelmed '. And a few black-hearted law enforcement is using this order to the merchant disorderly open a ticket, exactions. The Times of India says about 30 inspectors 24th ' raided ' a candy stall and asked businesses to pay a fine of 5000 rupees. Businessmen tried to theory, but were threatened with a fine of four times times, had to swallow the fines.
In fact, the plastic pots used by the merchant are not within the limits. Plastic pollution has been a big problem for India. Global Times reporter has seen plastic bottles, bags, food wrappers and other debris from drains, into slums, clogging stinking sewers and roads near the slums of New Delhi. Children are running around in the trash, trying to get back the football and water bottles, and the mountain is littered with stray dogs, goats and cows that can chew plastic bottles. Every year during the rainy season, people are killed because of the collapse of the rubbish mountain. The media has reported that India now produces nearly 26,000 tons of plastic waste every day, of which at least 40% have not been recycled. India's plastics industry is developing rapidly and plastics consumption is increasing.
But the speed of garbage collection is not up to the speed of production and consumption, which leads to serious pollution problems. The various parties to the plastic restrictions are mixed. India's Economic Times says the ' plastic restraint order ' has sparked a massive protest in Maharashtra, because of the industry's interest. India's Plastic Bag Manufacturers Association secretary General Punamia said the restrictions will result in 150 billion Indian rupee (about 14.4 billion yuan) of economic losses, and led to 300,000 people out of work. President of the India Plastics Manufacturers Association also warned that the uncertainty of the plastic-limit order would hit the Indian economy. The Mumbai Mirror says thousands of small businesses have been shut down outright for fear of fines. Bombay retail sales plunged 50% over the weekend as a result of the lack of effective alternatives or the high cost of alternatives.
Many restaurants ' delivery services have been halted and sales of dairy and fruit juices have fallen sharply. But the environmental agency has greatly appreciated the move. An official at a non-profit organization in Mumbai said the misuse of disposable plastic products has seriously endangered India's ecosystems, a similar moratorium should have been enacted long ago. The Times of India says Maharashtra will set an example for the country if it succeeds in the "trial run" of plastic restrictions. At least 25 states in India now have varying degrees of restrictions or regulations on the use of plastic products-New Delhi banned plastic bottles in 2009 and then expanded to other plastic products. But these rules are often not strictly enforced.