(Image source from: thehindu.com)

The Maharashtra government has issued a notification prohibiting plastic packaging of e-commerce products likewise plastic bottles with a capacity of fewer than 200 milliliters.

The notification has been issued late on Saturday night by Environment Minister Ramdas Kadam amid reports that multinational firms such as Amazon have lobbied with the regime to ease the instructions imposed by the prohibition on plastic.

A member of the committee said the new notification has laid emphasis on the recycling of waste and pricing of plastic products. The government has made it obligatory for retailers to price the plastic bags so that a buyback price can be generated.

The notification has likewise constricted the minimum weight for a retail bag to 2 gm and the size by six inches. Garments will have to be removed from original packaging before being sold to customers, and the use of shrink, stretch and cling films will be restricted. No changes have been made to the use of thermoformed containers and carry bags.

A member of the empowered committee said, "We have clearly defined what is and what is not permissible in greater detail. For users of multi-layered plastic, we have given three months to come up with a mechanism to recycle them or face a ban."

On June 27, the government proclaimed the initial set of relaxations by allowing small retailers to use plastic bags for packaging for the next three months.

The relaxation was relevant to plastic bags above 50 microns. The alterations were made just four days subsequently the prohibition on single-use plastic items across the State.

By Sowmya Sangam