Mumbai has joined the list of international cities and countries including Montreal, Taiwan, Chile, and Kenya, banning the use of plastic bags.
New legislation recently adopted by the Indian metropolis incurs a fine of up to 25,000 rupees (about £276 or $376 USD) and three months in jail, for anyone caught using plastic bags, cups,or bottles, according to the Guardian.
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A 2015 study found that India has among the highest rates of mismanaging plastic waste in the world, the Guardian noted. Discarded plastics litter the streets of Indian cities and beaches, and contribute to mountain-sized landfills on the outskirts of major urban areas such as Delhi.
But not everyone is happy to join the sustainable crusade.
“For the pollution situation it’s fine to do this but for the people it is a big problem,” Kamlash Mohan Chaudhary, a Mumbai taxi driver, told the Guardian. “People here carry everything in plastic bags.”
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Despite his complaints, the new ban has prompted Chaudhary to begin carrying a cloth bag while shopping, and he shared with the Guardian that his local mutton vendor had begun wrapping meat in newspaper.
This week The Hindustan Times shared a complete list of banned plastic items, including plastic cutlery, PET bottles, polypropylene bags, and other items, with guidelines for residents to follow in keeping with the new laws.
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