Maharashtra to get plastic waste management committee

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis met a delegation of Plastic Manufacturers' Association here on Monday and ordered the formation of a committee of secretaries to consider the feasibility of plastic waste management and disposal.

Ministers Subhash Desai, Ramdas Kadam and Aditya Thackeray were also present in the meeting.

This meeting was in compliance with the Bombay High Court's last week order when it refused to stay the ban on plastics in the state but asked the manufacturers to give a representation to the state government about their grievances.

On April 13, the high court had called the ban 'reasonable' after seeing a quantity of 1200 metric tons of waste every day in the state.

On March 23 this year, the government had issued a notification, in which it imposed a ban on the manufacture, use, sale and distribution of all plastic materials like plastic bags, spoons, plates, bottles and thermacol items.

A three-month notice period was given to the manufacturers, distributors and retailers to dispose of their existing stock of the banned items.