More than 180kg of single-useplastic seized from 32 traders

Nashik: The civic body, starting from July 1, has started a campaign against use of prohibited plastic in the city.
In the last two days of the drive, the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) has seized 183 kg of single-use plastic from 32 erring traders and imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 each. “The drive will continue till July 31” an NMC official said.
During surprise checks in April and May, the civic body had seized 22.4 quintal of banned plastic, collecting a total fine of Rs 17.4 lakh.Currently, the civic body collects about 720 tonne of garbage every day across the six divisions of the municipal corporation through 400 garbage vans and this includes 50 tonne of plastic waste.
A civic official said out of the total plastic waste collected daily through garbage vans it is difficult to determine the exact quantity of banned plastics as people do not segregate it.
After directives from municipal commissioner Ashok Karanjkar to take action against those using banned plastics, the NMC has intensified its drive and initiated surprise checks at shops to ensure compliance of the law.
Civic body’s solid waste department is responsible for carrying out these actions. State govt has imposed a comprehensive ban on manufacturing, import, stocking, distribution, sale, and use of single-use plastic items. The civic body imposes fines of Rs 5,000, Rs 10,000, and Rs 25,000 on erring traders for first, second, and third offences, respectively.