CSMC launches mega drive against single-use plastic

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Municipal Corporation (CSMC) launched an all-out drive against single-use plastic and, as part of it, special squads raided multiple locations.The teams seized 25,000 kg of banned plastic from 13 wholesalers and took action against 64 small traders, collecting total fines of Rs3.25 lakh and Rs1.90 lakh, respectively. CSMC commissioner Amol Yedge said that even residents found using single-use plastic will be fined, signaling stricter enforcement of the ban.Stepping up its push to make the city free of single-use plastic, the civic body is now reaching out to every household and commercial establishment to ensure effective implementation. The drive — being led by deputy commissioner (solid waste management) Nandkishor Bhombe — is being intensified on a war footing with a mix of enforcement and awareness. Without mincing words, Yedge said that the campaign will continue until there is a visible behavioural change among the residents. "This is not a short-term initiative. The administration will not step back until plastic usage stops and habits change significantly," he said.As part of the initiative, a large-scale awareness drive is being conducted in vegetable market areas, where civic teams engage directly with the residents and traders. Instead of relying only on punitive action, the civic teams are explaining the environmental and health hazards of single-use plastic and promoting adoption of cloth and reusable bags."The campaign has yielded significant results so far, with the civic body collecting and disposing of nearly 80 to 85 lakh single-use plastic bags, estimated to have a market value of around Rs45 lakh. All the seized plastic is being scientifically processed at the Harsul Solid Waste Processing Centre where it is shredded and later sent to cement factories as refuse-derived fuel (RDF), ensuring that it is not reintroduced into circulation," Bhombe said.