Residents and traders and manufacturers in the city may soon have to pay a fine of Rs. 25,000 for illegal disposal of plastic waste.
The draft of the Tamil Nadu Non-Biodegradable Waste Materials Bill has taken shape and once the Act comes into force, Chennai will emerge as the focal point of regulations on plastic waste disposal, with more than 5,000 tonnes of waste generated every day.
The Chennai Corporation will penalise violators to prevent accumulation of plastic waste with strict enforcement of anti-littering rules. Ironically, the Corporation uses littering near buildings of tax defaulters as a tool to collect property tax.
Currently, anti-littering initiatives in the city include a fine of Rs. 500 by the Corporation. With new statutory provisions on non-biodegradable waste taking shape, local bodies such as the Chennai Corporation are set to take measures for protection of public spaces from pollution by preventing entry of biodegradable waste in drains, wetlands, wastelands, water bodies, and places open to public view.
Local bodies will soon start regulating railway stations, street vendors, shops, markets, religious places, private offices, banks or places of public amusement by linking them with collection centres for non-biodegradable waste.
“The Chennai Corporation will have to set up non-biodegradable waste collection centres at 200 locations as the government is planning to commission at least one centre in each ward,” said an official.
Non-biodegradable waste will not reach the dumping yards at Perungudi and Kodungaiyur after the waste-collection centres start functioning in each of the wards. Workers at hundreds of collection centres will have personal protective equipment to facilitate recycling.
The penalties proposed for a first-time offence include a fine of Rs. 5,000. The fine is likely to be Rs. 10,000 for the second offence. Persons who contravene the statutory provisions will be imprisoned for up to three months or fined Rs. 25,000, or both.
Non-biodegradable waste includes plastics, laminated paper, glass, metal scrap, mica and construction debris.
