India’s western state of Maharashtra has joined 17 other states to ban the manufacture, use, storage, distribution, sale, import, and transportation of many plastic goods and materials. The prohibition covers a slew of items, including polyethylene bags, poly(ethylene terephthalate) bottles, polystyrene products, and various plastic plates, cups, spoons, and forks. Maharashtra is home to Mumbai and is India’s second most populous state. In total, India generates 15,000 metric tons of plastic waste daily, and only 60% is collected as waste or for recycling—the remainder is littered, according to India’s Central Pollution Control Board. Environmental groups have welcomed the plastics bans. But stakeholders such as the Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce, Industry & Agriculture (MACCIA), All India Plastics Manufacturers Association (AIPMA), and the Clothing Manufacturers Association of India say the bans adversely affect the plastics industry as well as businesses that use plastic products. The Maharashtra ban h...