The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) seized 61.5 kilograms of banned single-use plastic on Monday, January 20. It imposed fines of INR 1.45 lakh by taking action against 29 violators. This action follows the directives from the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB).
Last month, the MPCB had instructed the BMC to start confiscating single-use plastic, which was banned in Maharashtra in 2018. According to the directive, the production, sale, and transportation of single-use plastic, including thermocol, are prohibited. The MPCB also asked local authorities to take strict action against violators.
Data from BMC shows that 167 kilograms of plastic have been seized so far in 2025, with fines amounting to INR 6.1 lakh collected from 5,783 businesses.
The civic body had started penalising offenders in 2019 but relaxed enforcement during the COVID-19 pandemic. The crackdown picked up again in August 2023 but slowed later that year. The goal of the current campaign is to get rid of plastic from Mumbai’s 91 registered civic markets.
In 2024, BMC collected INR 41.7 lakh in penalties by acting against 44,448 establishments and confiscating 2,148 kilograms of plastic.
Under BMC regulations, first-time violators face a fine of INR 5,000. Repeat offenders are fined INR 10,000, while those caught more than twice can be fined INR 25,000 and face up to three months in jail.