Hyderabad: Unorganised firms still sell plastic below 50 microns 

HYDERABAD: Wholesale sellers of plastic goods at Begum Bazar prefer to sell plastic above 50 microns but those below the approved thickness are still available upon request at select stores. For traders, more profit lies in selling thicker plastic bags. But this does not translate well economically for those with lower purchasing power who use plastic carry bags for selling goods. 

The sale of plastic below 50 microns in size is banned under The Solid Waste Management Rules 2016. But the ban has been ineffective due to poor enforcement. Wholesalers say they have stopped receiving plastic below the banned size from registered manufacturers but the supply still continues due to demand mainly from street hawkers, roadside eateries and Kirana store owners.

“Over 90 per cent of the plastic sellers at Begum Bazaar have stopped selling plastics below 50 microns in size as there is no supply from registered manufacturers. The rest 10 per cent source the plastic below 50 microns from the unorganised plastic manufacturers,” said Thakur Raguveer Singh, owner Begum Bazaar Plastic traders.  

The traders sell plastic carry bags on a kg basis and find selling the thicker plastic more profitable even with a Rs 2 profit margin. “Carry bags that are 50 micron and above are thicker, so when a customer comes to buy 1 kilogram of carrying bags they don’t get enough quantity and end up buying 3 kilograms,” added Singh.