The liquor bottle buyback scheme, endorsed by the Madras High Court and implemented in Tasmac retail shops, has gained immense popularity in Tamil Nadu. Designed to safeguard the environment, this initiative has achieved remarkable success, with approximately 95% of bottles being returned in the three pilot districts where it was introduced.
According to the court, the regions of Perambalur, Dindigul, and Dharmapuri, including their hill areas, have achieved an impressive bottle return rate of 99%, as reported by Tasmac.
In an affidavit, S Visakan, the Managing Director of Tasmac, stated that the sale of empty bottles has resulted in a surplus revenue of 1.35 crore. This additional income will be utilized to lease storage spaces specifically for storing the empty bottles.
Tasmac has revealed that there is a proposal underway to introduce alternative packaging for liquor bottles, aiming to move away from traditional glass bottles. However, the implementation of this scheme across all liquor shops in the state is estimated to require a minimum of 24 months.
“The scheme will be implemented in 10 Tasmac districts in 12 months, in another 10 districts in 18 months and in the remaining 14 Tasmac districts in 24 months,” it said.
In a statement made by a distinguished panel comprising Justice N Sathish Kumar and Justice D Bharatha Chakravarthy, it was emphasized that the proposed scheme must be enforced across all retail establishments within a span of 15 months. The panel underscored the importance of recording the submissions pertaining to this matter.
Tasmac reports that there are a total of 4,829 retail liquor shops spread across the state. However, the buy-back scheme has not yet been implemented in 4,397 of these shops.
According to the authorities, out of the total 4,397 shops, only 471 have enough storage capacity for the empty bottles. The remaining 3,926 shops require additional space to store the bottles. In order to fully implement the scheme, several steps need to be taken. First, a tender must be initiated to dispose of the collected empty bottles. Second, training needs to be provided to 24,000 staff members in a phased manner on a rotational basis. Lastly, additional spaces need to be identified for all the shops, which is expected to take at least one year.
