Maharashtra: Dairies to buy back plastic pouches, firm on 15-day deadline

HospiBuz Desk

Maharashtra’s Environment Minister Ramdas Kadam has asked diaries to start a buyback mechanism for the plastic pouches and packets and set up collection centres. It was his third deadline since March 2018 and setting the deadline on May 28. The minister has given 15 days time to dairies to come up with this buy-back mechanism form plastic packets and pouches.

The officials of the state environment department said a review meeting was chaired by Ramdas Kadam with MPCB (Maharashtra Pollution Control Board) officials and representatives of dairies in the state. “The dairies had suggested some alternative mechanism for the collection and recycling of milk pouches. One of the proposals was to set up various centres at strategic locations for collection of milk pouches,” Ramdas Kadam stated.

Minister Ramdas Kadam argued that if milk pouches and packets do not have any value then people may not return them easily, so the state government has asked diaries to start a depository scheme in which 50 paise per pouch for recollection and recycling will be given immediately. 

Shripad Chitale, who represented the dairy owners at the meeting had reconfirmed the government’s decision on the deadline. The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has also called for a meeting on June 24 to discuss recycling of plastic, he said. “A date has not been decided yet for a meeting of dairies to discuss this issue and come up with a plan,” Shripad Chitale said. 

Some of the dairy owners of the state, who refused to be named in this, said it would not be possible for dairies to keep an eye on milk packets, and they might not come up with any plan. He said they were willing to wait and watch the situation and see how the situation unfolds. Even milk major Amul (Anand Milk Union Limited) has called this an impractical idea.