Extended Producer Responsibility and Enforcement of Single-Use Plastic Ban in Pune City of India

India has experienced tremendous production, use, and discarding of plastic waste. The municipal and solid wastes proliferation of municipal waste, especially plastic waste, paved the way for the regulatory framework to implement the plastic ban in 18 states and Union Territories of India. In contrast, they have implemented a partial ban on plastic bags respectively. It addressed the phasing out of multi-layered plastics (MLP) and incorporated Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) within the circular economy of plastic waste generation and recycling. It is generally believed that the plastic ban in India has feeble administrative support and effective implementation. Therefore, the government has passed the Draft Plastic Rules, 2009; Plastic Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2011; Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016 and Draft Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2021. It made vital changes in recycled plastic manufacture and usage at national and state levels. Since the net outcome of the failure is environmental degradation beyond reparable limits, the most vociferous articulation of the banning of the single-use came through the Notification on Plastic and Thermocol Products, 2018, by the Government of Maharashtra. Although the new legal framework carried high deterrent value, the implementation has been heavily flawed. The paper deals with the plastic laws and performance in the context of EPR in Pune city of India. It suggests viable recommendations and strategies from a multi-stakeholder perspective.


INTRODUCTION
Plastic products have internalized into the daily domestic needs but resulted in their adverse impacts on the realization of the human right to environment and health cannot be overlooked (Nomani 2000). Plastic waste's negative consequences and effects are now widely known and have been the subject of much recent media coverage (Gui et al. 2013), both at national and global levels (Thompson & Moore 2009). The use of polymers and plastic materials has had rapid growth since the 1970s. It is growing at a rate of 2.5 times that of the GDP growth in India. The raw plastic material doubled from 3.3 Million Metric tons to 6.8 Million Metric Tons in 2010 (Rafey & Siddiqui 2021). Rapid urbanization can be a significant reason for the spread of consumer goods, retail outlets, and plastics-based wrapping, from nutritional items, cereal, pulses, meat, and vegetable products to cosmetics and drugs. However, the more substantial hurdle is the alarming proportion of polythene flawed with actual implementation on the ground level (Aryan et al. 2019). Thus, the topic of the performance of the banning notification of the singleuse plastic ban in Pune City of India, in the context of EPR and circular economy, assumes an interest to work on the multi-stakeholding of the implementation status of the plastic ban. The countries like Rwanda, Morocco, China, Malaysia, and Israel have already imposed fines for using plastic bags (Adeyanju et al. 2018). Indian government following the suit heralded a slew of legislative support in the shape of the Draft Plastic (Manufacture, Usage, and Waste Management) Rules, 2009, Plastic Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2011, Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016and Draft Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2021. It is followed by the Plastic and Thermocol Products Notification, 2018, by the government of Maharashtra. The proposed ban is not the first time the world has seen a ban on certain plastics. Still, its real-world implementation is ganged by choosing Pune's market are at an in-depth explanation of multi-layered plastics (MLP) phasing out of the rampant use for packaging by consumer goods companies.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
The material and method of the study center around the principles of extended producer responsibility and circular economy applied in numerous jurisdictions of the world for recycling plastic waste. It generally contains plastic pollution and combats its proliferation to foster environmental sustainability (Nomani & Praveen 2021). Applying the principle in the European Union is considered a novel management and waste hierarchy. Such an impetus comes through the policy instruments implementation mechanism of the European waste hierarchy. Its implementation reduces plastic pressures and recycling of waste streams (Leal Filho et al. 2019). The EPR, as an enviro-legal policy, has excellent potential in plastic treatment methods and brand designing essentials under the circular economy of the waste product laws (Wagne 2017). The 'circular economy approach is applied legally for recycling waste streams to achieve economic prosperity and environmental protection in a multistakeholding approach and legal remedy (Steenmans 2019). India replicated notions of the EPR and circular economy of plastic waste as a promising alternative to traditional waste management policy without hindering employment avenues (Bhadra & Mishra 2021). The multi-stakeholder approach to the plastic ban is undertaken in the light of the national and state laws and policies and their implementation to carve out the prognostic solution. It is empirically examined by the total sample of 798 people between September 2018 to January 2019 in eight different markets across Pune city (Bhattacherjee 2012), out of which 66% Vendor was (n= 532) and 32% Consumer (n=260) on random stratified method along with the expert qualitative opinions (Brace 2018).

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, is a basic framework of law dealing with the concept of EPR and circular economy for managing plastics waste in India (Nomani & Rauf 2019). Although it is in an evolutionary phase in terms of the accountability of the producers and enforcement mechanism, it is still a good step in the positive earnest (Liang et al. 2021). It is considered the extension of the polluter pays principles contained under Section 9 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. The draft EPR policy for plastic waste management, 2021, formalized the EPR and circular economy with varying degrees of success in India (Pani & Pathak 2021). The reason behind bringing out the policy is to prevent the excessive amount of plastic that is littered from clogging the pore of the drains, maintenance holes, and sewer system and the threat of choking of fauna. Maharashtra estimated that around 2000 tons of waste was generated per day in Pune. It turned out to be around 350-750 gm per capita daily. Of these, plastic waste generation was about 200-250 tons per day. Against this backdrop, Maharashtra issued the Maharashtra Plastic and Thermocol Products Notification, 2018.

Plastic Waste Generation in Pune
As a case study, the paper empirically studies Pune city and its urban sprawl and metropolitan development in Maharashtra state. Pune city is located between 18°19ʹ to 18°45ʹ north of the equator and 73°35ʹ to 74°12ʹ east of Greenwich, encompassing an area of 1643 square km (Fig. 1). It is the second-most populous state in Maharashtra after Mumbai. The study was conducted in the market zones of Pune city during the study. The interviewees were randomly selected. The interviewees were divided into vendors, consumers, and producers.
The interviewees from vendor groups represent groceries, vegetables, non-vegetables, medicines, textiles, and jewelry 3 implementation to carve out the prognostic solution. It is empirically examined by the total sample of 798 people between September 2018 to January 2019 in eight different markets across Pune city (Bhattacherjee 2012), out of which 66% Vendor was (n= 532) and32% Consumer (n=260) on random stratified method along with the expert qualitative opinions (Brace 2018).

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, is a basic framework of law dealing with the concept of EPR and circular economy for managing plastics waste in India (Nomani & Rauf 2019). Although it is in an evolutionary phase in terms of the accountability of the producers and enforcement mechanism, it is still a good step in the positive earnest (Liang et al. 2021). It is considered the extension of the polluter pays principles contained under Section 9 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. The draft EPR policy for plastic waste management, 2021, formalized the EPR and circular economy with varying degrees of success in India (Pani & Pathak 2021). The reason behind bringing out the policy is to prevent the excessive amount of plastic that is littered from clogging the pore of the drains, maintenance holes, and sewer system and the threat of choking of fauna. Maharashtra estimated that around 2000 tons of waste was generated per day in Pune. It turned out to be around 350-750 gm per capita daily. Of these, plastic waste generation was about 200-250 tons per day. Against this backdrop, Maharashtra issued the Maharashtra Plastic and Thermocol Products Notification, 2018.

Plastic Waste Generation in Pune
As a case study, the paper empirically studies Pune city and its urban sprawl and metropolitan development in Maharashtra state. Pune city is located between 18°19ʹ to 18°45ʹ north of the equator and 73°35ʹ to 74°12ʹ east of Greenwich, encompassing an area of 1643 square km ( Fig. 1). It is the second-most populous state in Maharashtra after Mumbai. The study was conducted in the market zones of Pune city during the study. The interviewees were randomly selected. The interviewees were divided into vendors, consumers, and producers. The interviewees from vendor groups represent groceries, vegetables, non-vegetables, medicines, textiles, and jewelry in retail and wholesale markets. The number of people This publication is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License in retail and wholesale markets. The number of people interviewed was based on the fact that the markets were located nearby and the markets were the whole seller and biggest markets of Pune city. The survey was conducted in areas like Laxmi Road, Ravivar Peth, Market Yard, FC Road, Tulsi Bag, Gaffar Beig Road, Mahatma Phule Mandai, and Deccan Gymkhana to represent the different spectrum of the population of Pune city (Fig. 2).
The vegetable and flower markets were in the Mahatma Phulemandai, while the hanging stalls were in the Tulsi Baug. The meat markets were found in the Gaffar Beig Road, while the grocery markets were in Market Yard. The markets in the Laxmi roads were mostly jewelry markets, textile manufacturing, and wholesale markets. The expert interview of sweet shops was conducted in Deccan Gymkhana. For the plastic manufacturer, it was conducted in Moti Chowk due to the conglomeration of middle and upper-class consumers and retailers, and wholesalers.

Features of Plastic Ban Regulations
The slew of legislative support in the shape of the Draft PlasticRules, 2009, Plastic Waste Rules, 2011, Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, and Draft Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2021, the legal and institutional mechanism started phasing out of MLP, used for packaging by the consumer goods companies. The Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, inserted the notion of EPR to manage plastic waste in India . While the Indian EPR is at an experimental phase, its work in the last five years has not realized the policy goals in implementing machinery due to the producers' liability deficit and enforcement from the authorities in the circular 4 Laxmi Road, Ravivar Peth, Market Yard, FC Road, Tulsi Bag, Gaffar Beig Road, Mahatma Phule Mandai, and Deccan Gymkhana to represent the different spectrum of the population of Pune city (Fig. 2). The vegetable and flower markets were in the Mahatma Phulemandai, while the hanging stalls were in the Tulsi Baug. The meat markets were found in the Gaffar Beig Road, while the grocery markets were in Market Yard. The markets in the Laxmi roads were mostly jewelry markets, textile manufacturing, and wholesale markets. The expert interview of sweet shops was conducted in Deccan Gymkhana. For the plastic manufacturer, it was conducted in Moti Chowk due to the conglomeration of middle and upper-class consumers and retailers, and wholesalers. The government of Maharashtra has not banned the use of plastics entirely, but certain kinds of plastic, including plastic bags of less than 50 microns, remain in use. However, the use of plastic bags above 50 microns was promulgated by government notification. There have been clear instructions on the type of plastic that can still be used, including the weight and size of the government mentioned in the new notification. GOM announced the penalties as the first-time offender was fined 5000 Rupees, the second-time offender with 10000 rupees, and the third-time offender fined 25000 rupees along with a jail sentence of up to 3 months.

Maharashtra Plastic Ban Notification, 2018
The Maharashtra Plastic and Thermocol Products Notification, 2018, was passed to give effect to the national legislation on the Plastic Waste Rules, 2011, and Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016. It banned plastic and sensitized people regarding the use and recycling along with the switching to alternative methods amongst the multistakeholders in Maharashtra. It resulted in reducing and using alternatives for plastics (Nomani & Hussain 2020). It also generated awareness about the types of plastics exempted from the ban and the adoption of viable alternative usages (Fig. 4).
The plastic ban is effective for all the people of Maharashtra, including individuals and NGOs, commercials, marriage halls, cinema halls, hotels, pilgrims' places, caterers, hawkers, traders, manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, stockiest, people in business, public places, tourist places, beaches (Fig. 5). The banning of plastic went along with awareness programs by the government and the NGO on Single-use plastic.
It paved the way for the segregation of Plastic from waste and its ultimate disposal at designated points. The evidence is prominent in the 'Plastic Free Pune' and Changing to an environmentally friendly lifestyle. The fraction of usage suggests designing alternatives for plastic products by reducing the use of low-level plastics and encouraging the use of recycled products. It was structured based on the 4Rs, awareness generation among citizens, provision and exchange of information, and implementation of the law on the Maharashtra Plastic and Thermocol Products Notification, 2018. The task is to understand the effects on the stakeholders that are directly and indirectly affected by the ban. The idea and perspective discerned new usage and treatment (Fig. 6).
Since the ban was implemented to curb plastic pollution, it is vital to understand the stakeholding of the ERP and circular economy from a holistic perspective. It also augurs This publication is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License that of the brand owners, followed by the packers and fillers. The onus for EPR primarily vested cast for the plastic carry bag above 50 microns to be exchanged for 15 rupees per kg of the clean and reusable plastic carry bag among the local stakeholders. The highest sense of responsibility is cast on the brand owners, followed by the packers and the fillers. The shrinking of the responsibility is structured on the tower of the two modules and methodological applications (Fig. 7).
The survey in grocery market yards reveals that 76% of the vendors knew of the notion of EPR set into the Maharashtra for the alternatives and prognostic solutions in the urban sprawl of Pune city. The Maharashtra Plastic and Thermocol Products Notification, 2018, aimed to address 2000 tons of plastic waste generated in Pune. The household plastic generation was estimated to be 350-750 gm per capita daily.

Application of Extended Producers Responsibility
The regulatory regime of plastic waste incorporated the concept of EPR under the Maharashtra Plastic and Thermocol Products Notification, 2018. The highest responsibility was  The plastic ban is effective for all the people of Maharashtra, including individuals and NGOs, commercials, marriage halls, cinema halls, hotels, pilgrims' places, caterers, hawkers, traders, manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, stockiest, people in business, public places, tourist places, beaches (Fig. 5). The banning of plastic went along with awareness programs by the government and the NGO on Single-use plastic. Plastic and Thermocol Products Notification, 2018. The legal literacy among general business owners figures out to be 32%. 68% of people need to learn about the concept of EPR and the penal consequences of the plastic ban. However, 92% of the vendor in Sunday weekly and wholesale markets were aware of the nature and content of the law (Fig. 8).
On the other hand, the survey also revealed that 66% of the vendors faced problems due to the plastic ban. It was noticed that 58% of the vendors were aware of the EPR (Fig.  9). Most of the time, the plastics were either burnt on-site or given to the rag pickers. It was also seen that vendors needed help in giving articles in small packets. They preferred to avoid getting a hike in the product prices because they had to stay in the market competition. The leftover banned plastic is either unused or slowly scraped (Nomani & Parveen 2020). Most big shop owners knew of EPR but felt the regulatory mechanism needed to be more time-consuming and noncooperation of the consumers.
The cost of collecting and staffing to buy plastic would be chargeable to producers under EPR. The management collection, transportation, treatment, and disposal of plastic waste would be considered a project cost. It enhances the financial contribution toward the collection of plastic waste. It is based on incentives of the EPR credit system and generally scaled on the extent of the contribution by the producers. To this end, it is based on the five years contract with Producers towards meeting their EPR obligations. 7 and exchange of information, and implementation of the law on the Maharashtra Plastic and Thermocol Products Notification, 2018. The task is to understand the effects on the stakeholders that are directly and indirectly affected by the ban. The idea and perspective discerned new usage and treatment (Fig. 6). Since the ban was implemented to curb plastic pollution, it is vital to understand the stakeholding of the ERP and circular economy from a holistic perspective. It also augurs for the alternatives and prognostic solutions in the urban sprawl of Pune city. The Maharashtra Plastic and Thermocol Products Notification, 2018, aimed to address 2000 tons of plastic waste generated in Pune. The household plastic generation was estimated to be 350-750 gm per capita daily.

Application of Extended Producers Responsibility
The regulatory regime of plastic waste incorporated the concept of EPR under the Maharashtra Plastic and Thermocol Products Notification, 2018. The highest responsibility was that of the brand owners, followed by the packers and fillers. The onus for EPR primarily vested cast for the plastic carry bag above 50 microns to be exchanged for 15 rupees per kg of the clean and reusable plastic carry bag among the local stakeholders. The highest sense of responsibility is cast on the brand owners, followed by the packers and the fillers. The shrinking of the responsibility is structured on the tower of the two modules and methodological applications (Fig. 7).  The survey in grocery market yards reveals that 76% of the vendors knew of the notion of EPR set into the Maharashtra Plastic and Thermocol Products Notification, 2018. The legal literacy among general business owners figures out to be 32%. 68% of people need to learn about the concept of EPR and the penal consequences of the plastic ban. However, 92% of the vendor in Sunday weekly and wholesale markets were aware of the nature and content of the law (Fig. 8)

Circular Economy of Plastic Ban
The circular economy of the plastic ban has played a pivotal role in the legal and institutional mechanism of the plastic ban in Pune City. It ordains the take-make-dispose (Steenmans et al. 2017) and strengthens eco-friendly design and waste management. The life-cycle assessment takes a holistic perspective of the resource, substance, product, and waste (Nomani & Salahuddin 2020). It establishes legally binding standards, resource recovery laws, and policies. On the other hand, the life-cycle perspective constitutes the waste hierarchy emphasizing quantity and recycling quality. The nature of environmental liability under EPR resembles the polluter pays principles in the spectrum of the EPR. The salient features of the EPR are the producer's contribution to the cost of recycling.
The circular economy of the plastic ban revolves around the producers, vendors, and consumers in physical and informative responsibilities (Fig. 10). The survey showed that although 36% of consumers were aware of the plastic ban, only 56% supported it. It also noted that consumers faced problems carrying food in parcels because of the oil or liquid in the food, which might spill and stain. 80% of the consumers wanted a complete ban on plastic or some 8 literacy among general business owners figures out to be 32%. 68% of people need to learn about the concept of EPR and the penal consequences of the plastic ban. However, 92% of the vendor in Sunday weekly and wholesale markets were aware of the nature and content of the law (Fig. 8). On the other hand, the survey also revealed that 66% of the vendors faced problems due to the plastic ban. It was noticed that 58% of the vendors were aware of the EPR (Fig. 9). Most of the time, the plastics were either burnt on-site or given to the rag pickers. It was also seen that vendors needed help in giving articles in small packets. They preferred to avoid getting a hike in the product prices because they had to stay in the market competition. The leftover banned plastic is either unused or slowly scraped (Nomani & Parveen 2020). Most big shop owners knew of EPR but felt the regulatory mechanism needed to be more time-consuming and non-cooperation of the consumers. The cost of collecting and staffing to buy plastic would be chargeable to producers under EPR. The management collection, transportation, treatment, and disposal of plastic waste would be considered a project cost. It enhances the financial contribution toward the collection of plastic waste. It is based on incentives of the EPR credit system and generally scaled on the extent of the contribution by the producers. To this end, it is based on the five years contract with Producers towards meeting their EPR obligations.

Circular Economy of Plastic Ban
The circular economy of the plastic ban has played a pivotal role in the legal and institutional mechanism of the plastic ban in Pune City. It ordains the take-make-dispose (  biodegradable alternative to plastic. They understood the alternatives and solutions different stakeholders have switched to were necessary. It finally leads to the annual certificate on waste collected by Producers towards meeting the EPR target by PMC. Other cities must also adopt this system to become effective.

CONCLUSION
Implementing the plastic ban under the Maharashtra Plastic and Thermocol Products Notification, 2018 witnessed changing perceptions towards the use of plastic consumption in daily life. However, it remained in the primitive stage of deviance and compliance. The multi-stakeholder interaction and interview amongst shopkeepers, consumers, environmentalists, and representatives of NGOs tallied a total of 798 people were interviewed to draw a realistic portrayal of the use of disposal and treatment system. The limitation of the study envisages its results and discussions during the span of five months during the year 2018-2019. The conclusions and recommendations reached during the initial two years of implementing the Maharashtra Plastic and Thermocol Products Notification, 2018, in implementing the plastic ban in Pune City. The trickle-down effect of the law carried out the environmental effect of the plastic ban regarding the Police cognizance, seizure, and fines under the overall supervision of the PMC officials. The salutary impact gauged from the maximum fine collected from police search and seizure amounts to 25,600 rupees in December 2018. The gradual ban on plastic resulted in stratified compliance, as evidenced by the fine collection in January 2019 came to only 8000. Thus, the police action and fine collection by Pune Municipal Corporation under the Maharashtra Plastic and Thermocol Products Notification, 2018, in tandem, discern the level of compliance to the higher side. The study demonstrated partial success in percolating EPR and circular economy, consequential ban implementation, and environmental compliances. The legal and institutional framework needs further impetus to thrash out the menace of the plastic ban effectively. Implementation officers needed to learn about the EPR and the Plastic rules found