Slashdot Mirror
Mumbai Bans Plastic Bags, Bottles, and Single-Use Plastic Containers (theguardian.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Guardian: Mumbai has the become the largest Indian city to ban single-use plastics, with residents caught using plastic bags, cups or bottles to face penalties of up to 25,000 rupees (~$365) and three months in jail from Monday. Council inspectors in navy blue jackets have been posted across the city to catch businesses or residents still using plastic bags. Penalties have already kicked in for businesses and several, reportedly including a McDonald's and Starbucks, have already been fined. Penalties range from 5,000 rupees (~$73) for first-time offenders to 25,000 rupees (~$365) and the threat of three months' jail for those caught repeatedly using single-use plastics.
...the entire state of California has banded them.
As someone who lives in California, the situation in California is now utterly ridiculous. Since grocery stores aren't allowed to give out thin plastic bags (for free) they now give out thick "multi-use" plastic bags for 10 cents bags. So basically the law is forcing people to carry their groceries in plastic bags that are much thicker than necessary.
I suppose it could be worse. Not so long ago Germany thought that the key to solving their problems was sending Jews to the gas chambers. And then, more recently, most people in the USA thought that terrible things would happen if gay people were allowed to marry. So if Californians think that forcing people to use thicker plastic bags for their groceries is going to solve their problems, well, there are far worse ways to be stupid.