CHENNAI, India — Amul Vasudevan, a vegetable hawker in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, thought she was going to go out of business.
The state had forbidden retailers to use disposable plastic bags, which were critical for her livelihood because they were so cheap. She could not afford to switch to selling her wares in reusable cloth bags.
Tamil Nadu was not the first state in India to try to curtail plastic pollution, but unlike others, it was relentless in enforcing its law. Vasudevan was fined repeatedly for using throwaway bags.
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