Five years in prison for using plastic bag

Think being charged 5p for a plastic bag in M&S is annoying?

In Delhi, India’s capital, the penalty for using a plastic bag is a five year jail sentence or a 100,000 rupee (£1,500) fine.

Delhi’s environment boss, J. K. Dadoo, says: “We want people to understand that they will not get away with (using plastic bags). If they choose to defy the law repeatedly, then the court has the measures necessary to fit.”

The city’s economy has boomed in recent years, and Western-style shopping malls have become increasingly popular - bringing with them throwaway plastic shopping bags.

Recent estimates before the ban were 10 million bags being used every day in the city, each one of which takes up to a millennium to decay, releasing harmful chemicals into the environment as it does so.

The ban - put in place on Friday - will be soft at first, giving businesses time to switch to jute, paper, and cotton bags.

Many traders in the city welcome the ban, although some business owners are unhappy.

“If we shift from plastic, the cost will increase by four to five times and ultimately the customers will have to bear the cost,” said shopkeeper Harish Malik.

Environmental campaigners, however, believe the ban should have been put in place months ago.

“The ban was long overdue,” said Kushal Yadav, coordinator and campaigner, Centre for Science and Environment.

“Earlier the government sought to limit the ban [but] this blanket ban was necessary.”

However, Yadav is unsure whether Delhi’s government will chase up those flouting the ban.

“While the ban is a good decision, the monitoring and implementation process is very weak here and any perceivable difference would be unlikely,” Yadav said.

Countries that have successfully outlawed plastic bags include Rwanda, Bangladesh, and Bhutan.