Where Can You Dump Your Plastic Waste In Mumbai?
India generates around 56 lakh tonne of plastic waste every year, according to a study by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Plastic products weighing about 9,205 tonne per day are recycled while 6,137 tonne is left untreated. Metropolises like Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata and Mumbai are the leading contributors to this menace, suffering themselves in effect. To tame the plastic beast, Maharashtra, which is home to the country’s financial capital, announced its plan in November last year to make the state plastic free.
Under the Maharashtra Plastic and Thermocol Products (Manufacture, Usage, Sale, Transport, Handling and Storage) Notification, 2018, the state has banned the manufacturing, usage, storage, distribution, wholesale or retail sale, import and transportation of all various plastic bags (with or without handle), single-use disposable items made of plastic and thermocol and packaging of food items.
The state government decided to ban packaged water bottles, beginning with the government offices. It joined hands with big retailers to roll out a policy. The earlier ban on plastic bags (with thickness less than 50 microns) in 2005 had not been effectively implemented, and the government expressed its wish to renew its efforts towards tackling plastic menace. However, the state has now decided to lift the ban on small PET and PETE bottles with a capacity of less than half a litre to provide relief to public. In addition, it has also given people time of another two months to dispose of the banned plastic items.
Any failure to do so would mean you would be at the receiving end of the government action after June 23. A fine of Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000 will be charged for first and second-time offenders, respectively, while third-time offenders will be facing a punishment of Rs 25,000 as fine and imprisonment for three months.
Where can you dump plastic waste?
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has successfully installed 25 collection centres for plastic waste. Several black-and-gold-hued portable bins have been placed at strategic locations of the city, including municipal markets, shopping areas and railway stations to dispose of plastic waste. These 20-sqft waste bins will be placed at 12 points in south Mumbai and the BMC markets. Each of these bins can collect plastic waste weighing up to 500 kg.
To dispose of plastic waste, you could visit collection centres at Colaba Causeway, Crawford municipal market, Cowasjee Patel tank, Chor bazaar, Dedh galli-Kamathipura, Zaveri bazaar, Flora fountain, Kala Ghoda, Gateway of India, Girgaum chowpatty, Mangaldas market-Kalbadevi, Fashion street, Dadar flower market, Hindmata market, LBS market-Matunga and KNP market-Dadar West. Apart from that, collection centres are also there at Bandra’s Linking road, the Lokhandwala market, Juhu chowpatty, the Sainath market at Malad, the Borivali municipal market, the Chembur market, the Ghatkopar market, the Sion circle and the Mulund market.