India Announces First Deposit Refund Scheme for PET Bottles
Plastic Recycling | 2018-07-09 23:37:59
The customers are required to deposit the used bottle or pouch with the retailer or plastic collection machines. At the time of depositing used plastic, the refundable charge would be returned.
By Paul Ploumis
SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The Indian state of Maharashtra is all set to implement the country’s first buyback scheme for PET bottles. The scheme, which is scheduled to come into force this Wednesday, is aimed at ensuring that plastics that are not banned are recycled properly. The state had recently issued ban on plastic bags and a wide range of disposable plastic products.
According to the terms of the buyback scheme, manufacturers of PET bottles and milk pouches will levy a refundable charge on their products. The customers are required to deposit the used bottle or pouch with the retailer or plastic collection machines. At the time of depositing used plastic, the refundable charge would be returned. The government has proposed refund of 50 paise for each milk pouch, Re.1 for PET bottles (1 ltr and above) and Rs.2 for PET bottles (200 ml to 1 ltr). It must be noted that Pet bottles less than 200 ml comes under ban.
It is the responsibility of manufacturers to ensure that collected plastics are recycled as per norms. They are urged to step up collection and recycling infrastructure. Also, it is compulsory that the deposited bottles or pouches should carry the name of retailer, code and the buyback price.
Meantime, recyclers raised concerns about the scheme, saying that the guidelines are not clear. The high deposit rates, shortage of recycling capacity to handle the collected materials and lack of adequate incentives could also impact the success of the scheme, they said.
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Environment Department officials noted that the high refundable charges are meant to ensure maximum collection of used plastics. The policy guidelines will be revised by considering inputs from all stakeholders, they added.
The buyback scheme could lead to increased recycling of plastic in the state. Incidentally, plastics account for nearly 3-5% of all garbage generated in the state. As per sources, the government is planning to introduce a similar buyback scheme for other products including tetra packs and retail packaging in three months time.
