The Maharashtra government is likely to publish an FAQ for the industry clarifying its recent decision of banning single-use plastics. The decision of banning plastic materials has led to a lot of confusion and resentment among plastic manufactures and traders.

A Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) communique will present questions and clear answers in a specific format.

A senior Maharashtra government official said that the FAQ will define those plastic materials, which are banned. Such an FAQ is being formulated on the demands of the industry. A number of large corporations through Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) have written to the Environment Department seeking more clarity, he said.

The official said that a number of multinational including e-commerce companies, who use secondary plastics for packaging their goods for consumers will also be asked to set up recycling units within three months. In this time period they will have to shift to alternative bio-degradable materials for packaging, the official added.

The Maharashtra government’s first move to ban single-use plastic bags was in the aftermath of the Mumbai floods of July 26, 2005. Officials of the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai had observed that major drains and marine outfalls across the city were chocked with plastic wastes, making it impossible for the storm water to drain out quickly.

Industry sources said that at a recent meeting with Maharashtra government official, industry representatives had sought additional time for setting up recycling infrastructure. Clarity has also been sought by export units on use of plastic material for packaging as such material are only used for the overseas markets, where such a ban is not in force.

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