The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has directed traders and shopkeepers in its markets to stop using single-use plastic, warning that violations will attract penalties.
Shopkeepers across several city markets said the civic body’s drive against banned plastic has gathered fresh momentum.
Although single-use plastic has long been prohibited, the ban has been widely flouted across the city. Plastic carry bags thinner than 120 microns continue to be used extensively in markets and retail outlets.
A trader at Jadavgarh Market in Kasba said KMC officials had visited the market more than once in recent days and instructed shopkeepers to stop using single-use plastic.
“The officials told us the KMC would start imposing penalties from September 1 and asked us to gradually stop using single-use plastic so that it is completely phased out by then,” the trader said.
At the Gariahat Market, visiting KMC officials have warned traders against using single-use plastic bags.
According to the state pollution control board’s website, plastic carry bags thinner than 120 microns have been banned across Bengal since December 31, 2022. Local authorities, including civic bodies, have been empowered to impose penalties on violators.
Bengal has 128 urban local bodies, comprising seven municipal corporations and 121 municipalities.
The manufacture, sale and use of several other single-use plastic items, including plastic cutlery, thermocol cutlery and thermocol used for decorations, are also prohibited on paper; however, they remain widely available.
Under the rules, a trader found using banned plastic items can be fined
₹500, while a buyer can be penalised ₹50.
Over the years, however, enforcement has remained patchy, with various state government agencies differing over which department should take the lead in implementing the ban.
There are over 50 markets in the city under the KMC’s control. The city also
has several privately owned markets.
Traders across the city’s markets said they often felt compelled to provide customers with plastic carry bags, fearing they would lose business if they refused.
“If we don’t give customers a plastic bag, they may simply buy from another shop. The authorities should also crack down on manufacturers of banned plastic bags. If the supply stops, we won’t even have the option of handing them out,” a trader said.
KMC officials said several city markets already have cloth-bag vending machines and that more such machines would be installed in the coming months.
“We have been running an awareness campaign against the use of single-use plastic for quite some time,” a KMC official said.