CHENNAI: Following directions from the Madras High Court, the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (Tasmac) has begun implementing its empty bottle buyback scheme across the state in a bid to curb the environmental impact of discarded liquor bottles.
As part of the initiative, tenders have been floated in 17 districts including Chennai, Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur, Villupuram, Madurai, Tirunelveli, Tenkasi, Thanjavur, and Dindigul. Tasmac officials said the tenders are likely to be finalised before the second week of August.
“The bottle buyback scheme has been fully implemented in nine districts, including Perambalur, Ariyalur, and the Nilgiris. It has also been introduced partially in seven more districts.
Under the scheme, nearly 95-97% of empty bottles are now being recovered from consumers. So far, we have collected about Rs 450 crore and refunded Rs 350 crore. The rest of the amount is maintained in separate account,” a senior official told TNIE.
Currently, the scheme is active in around 1,200 of Tasmac’s 4,829 retail outlets. The official added that the scheme will be rolled out across all districts by November.
Under the scheme, customers are charged an additional Rs 10 per bottle, which is refunded when the bottle is returned. Once tenders are finalised, bottles will carry stickers indicating the shop number for tracking purposes.While the initiative aims to reduce environmental damage, workers at Tasmac outlets say implementation challenges remain.
“Customers hand over used bottles directly to us. We are forced to receive them without any safety gear like gloves. Several staff have developed skin infections, but no action has been taken,” said a Tasmac employee on condition of anonymity.
“Each outlet is supposed to have 500 sq ft for storage, but many shops, especially in congested areas, operate in much smaller spaces. We request authorities to allot more space for storing the empty bottles,” said another worker.