The Indian city of Mumbai has taken a massive step in the fight against single use plastic by introducing a ban that could see anyone caught using disposable bags, cutlery or bottles jailed for up to three months - and facing a hefty fine.
This is part of a state-wide ban in the state of Maharashtra, in which Mumbai is located. It came into force this past weekend and special inspectors have been in force to inspect and target restaurants that are thought to be using such products before the ban officially begins today.
The new rules operate a three-strike system - one offence leads to a 5,000 rupee fine (about £55/$73), a second offence will cost 10,000 rupees (£111/$147), and once the third offence is discovered the punishment will be 25,000 rupees (£277/$367) and three months in jail.
It's not as if they haven't had time to prepare, to be fair. The plans for the ban were announced in March and the shops, restaurants and other businesses within the state have therefore had three whole months to get rid of any single use plastic stock that they may have had.
The ban not only covers cutlery, disposable shopping bags and bottles, but also disposable gloves and many other products.
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There have been around 87 businesses that have already fallen foul of the new laws and the retailer's association in Mumbai has threatened to industrial action and strikes on Wednesday if the local government does not listen to requests from them for a buyback option on certain types of plastic.
They have also asked for the ban to be put off until the end of the monsoon season, when the hot and wet conditions make it difficult to store certain things in non-plastic containers, according to reports in the Hindustan Times.
India generates a huge amount of plastic waste every year, and their government is taking steps to try to cut back on its use of plastics, particularly the most common types that end up polluting the environment.
Maharashtra is the 18th Indian state to implement a ban such as this one, but in many states it is thought that they are not adhered to as strictly as they could be; lastic bags are still commonplace and in use for many tasks, even in cities where bans are in place.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also vowed that he will clean India up by the end of his term in 2019, meaning there could be more changes for the country's plastic use yet.
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