Surcharge for bottled water & milk packets

Consumers purchasing bottled water and milk polypacks will have to pay an extra charge as a deposit to the retailer, which will be refunded when the empty bottles and poly packs are returned to them. The move comes after the state cabinet decided, on Thursday, to ban plastic bags and plastic and thermocol cutlery.

"The re-purchase must not be less than 50 paise per bag," said environment minister Ramdas Kadam. It will be made mandatory for milk dairies, distributors and retailers to repurchase poly packs for recycling. Food-grade plastic bags above 50 microns must be used for packaging milk.

"We will assess this system for three months," added Kadam. "If it is not implemented, milk bags will be banned. Biodegradable plastic bags can also be used for milk."

Similarly, retailers will levy a minimum deposit of Re 1 per bottle above the MRP on packaged drinking water bottles. Producers, distributors and sellers will have to establish a system to repurchase and recycle these bottles.

They will have to establish recycling facilities in three months after the ban is notified.

"The companies will have to create a system for buyback to also cover rural areas," he explained. "The system will be mandatory at important places such as tourist spots, colleges and hospitals."

"This was the need of the hour," said Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray, adding that plastic waste and construction debris was responsible for last year's waterlogging. He said they would meet restaurant and hotel associations and plastic manufacturers to reduce waste.

PET and PETE bottles manufacturers will be charged recycling or reuse cess with the GST commissionerate being the collection agency. Manufacturers will get a refund depending on number of bottles recycled.

Though Thackeray said the ban would be imposed from Gudi Padwa (Sunday), environment department officials said the notification is likely to be issued only towards the end of the month.

Officials said the ban would have provisions for compounding of offences by designated authorities and penalities with fines ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs 25,000, and three months imprisonment for repeat offences.

Municipal commissioners, chief executive officials of zilla parishads, municipal councils, district collectors, or officials nominated by them; health, education, police and forest officials, voluntary groups and even elected representatives will be designated to enforce the ban. "They can lodge police complaints about violations and they will enforce the ban and lodge cases," Kadam added.

"The penalties will be same for both, manufacturers and users," an official explained.

Thackeray said they would devise incentives like 'the ice bucket challenge' for people who surrender the maximum amount of plastic waste at collection points.