Mumbaiites, want to dispose of your plastic? BMC will collect it from your doorstep

Starting next week, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will be at your doorstep to collect plastic from your house.

Apart from setting-up plastic collection bins and PET bottle-crushing machines at public places in the city, the BMC is now about to start a toll-free helpline for plastic pick-up service.

After the Maharashtra government issued a notification in March to ban select plastic items, BMC prepared a procedure for the collection and disposal of the banned items. The civic body’s solid waste management department is responsible for the collection centers.

Officials of the waste management department said that a temporary 10-digit toll-free number will be sanctioned for operation in a day or two. “Citizens who have large stock of plastic items, can call on the helpline and ask for a pick-up garbage truck any day during the next 2-3 months,” said an official.

The state has given citizens and manufacturers a buffer period of three months to dispose of all the banned items. After this period, BMC can penalise people for use, manufacture and sale of banned plastic items.

According to assistant municipal commissioner Kiran Dighavkar, 24 dedicated garbage trucks will pick up non-woven polypropylene bags, plastic sheets, plastic pouches, all kinds of plastic films, plastic and thermocol cutlery from societies and commercial establishments across the city.

To raise awareness about alternatives to plastic, BMC will also conduct open exhibitions from next month. It also plans to put up creative advertisements at public places, produce short films, use social media for campaigning and train its staff for spreading awareness.