Maharashtra plastic ban: Restaurant business ’down by 20 per cent’

Mangalore Today News Network

Mumbai, Jun 27, 2018 : As Maharashtra comes to terms with the plastic ban, restaurant owners in the state are bearing the brunt as the ban has hit their parcel or take-away service.

"There has been a 20 per cent reduction in our business in the last four days. People are choosing to cook at home or they are going to illegal joints," said Santosh Shetty, president of Association of Restaurant Owners.

The association under Indian Hotels and Restaurants Association has issued a circular to its members asking them to use reusable and recyclable containers for their parcel service. The government circular about the plastic ban has also been given out to all members of the association.

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has already started cracking down on establishments that are using banned plastic materials. The BMC officials have visited 13,501 establishment and collected fine of over Rs 10,50,000.

Restaurant owners’ association has asked the members to video record the procedure of being fined. Not just that, association’s circular goes one step ahead and says, ’Refuse to pay the fine and challenge it and insist on mentioning the words reusable and recycled containers in the panchanama’.

The 5000-plus members of the association have not made any recording of the procedure yet. The association, however, says that such a circular was issued after the BMC officials took action against some restaurants in Chembur in Mumbai.

"The Environment Ministry circular has banned single-use containers. We understand that single-use containers cause enviromental issues and so even we are discouraging its use. Most of us now use multi-use containers which are picked up by scrap dealers so they do not end up in garbage and choke our sewer lines," says Shetty.


courtesy:Yahoo