Indian state bans plastic bags Rhett A. Butler, mongabay.com
August 25, 2005
An article by Ramola Talwar Badam in The Guardian reports that the government of the state of Maharashtra in the western Indian banned the manufacture, sale and use of all plastic bags, saying they choked drainage systems during last month's deadly monsoon rains.
Environmental groups welcomed the ban, but plastic manufacturers said 100,000 people would lose their jobs. Manufacturers and stores selling plastic bags will be fined 5,000 rupees ($115), while individuals using bags face penalties of 1,000 rupees ($23).
The ban was prompted by the indiscriminate use of plastic bags, which blocked sewage and drainage systems during record monsoon rains. Flooding and landslides killed more than 1,000 people in the state. Other Indian states have already banned the use of thin plastic bags widely used by merchants and shoppers.
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