A recent enforcement sweep shows that Indian authorities are taking the country's ban on certain single-use plastic items seriously.
Officials from Mira Bhayandar, a city just north of Mumbai, completed the enforcement drive in early April, Newsband reports. Teams from the Solid Waste Management Department led the efforts, visiting local businesses to determine if they are violating the plastic ban.
The sweep resulted in the seizure of 55 pounds' worth of banned materials, such as plastic plates, glasses, and bags. Businesses were fined a total of 21,000 rupees, or roughly $250.
The world's most populous country, with more than 1.4 billion people, India announced its single-use plastic ban in 2022 in an attempt to slow its pollution crisis. The ban included 19 items, most notably plastic cups, forks, knives, plates, and straws.
In the years since, the country has taken additional steps to create less plastic waste. A new rule implemented in 2025 requires large beverage companies, such as Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, to use only bottles with at least 30% recycled plastic. That number will increase by 10% each year until it hits 60%.
These changes are necessary because of the massive amount of plastic pollution created by India. The country is believed to be the world's biggest contributor of plastic waste, accounting for 10 million tons of such waste each year, or roughly 20% of the global total.
If other countries follow India's lead, the results could be massive. A global reduction in plastic use would keep our planet much cleaner. And if less plastic is produced each year, less planet-warming gas would be released into the atmosphere, which could help slow or reverse global warming.
Mira Bhayandar officials say stricter penalties will come to businesses that continue to use banned products. Those fines are worth roughly $60 for a first offense, $120 for a second offense, and $300 for the third, along with possible criminal prosecution.
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