Maharashtra plastic ban: Govt introduces India's first buyback scheme for bottles

Just weeks after Maharashtra imposed a **ban on single-use plastic** , the state government is set to implement a buyback scheme for PET bottles and plastic milk pouches starting Wednesday, media reports said. This move, when imposed, will be the first of its kind in India. A deposit paid to a retailer upon purchase will be returned on handing bottles or plastic pouches back to the store, The Times of India reported. The report added that the state also plans to carry out a similar scheme for tetra packs and other such retail packaging in three months. In a notification titled Maharashtra Plastic and Thermocol Products (Manufacture, Usage, Sale, Transport, Handling and Storage) Notification, 2018, the government has placed the onus of the scheme on manufacturers, terming it an “extended producer responsibility”, according to the report. The rule mandates that manufacturers will have to set up collection and recycling centres for the implementation of the scheme. [caption id=“attachment_4697241” align=“alignnone” width=“1280”] Representational image. Reuters[/caption] This model, however, may involve logistical challenges as it would need the integration of barcodes during the manufacturing process of the packaged water bottles and milk pouches, in order to record the details of the producers and sellers, according to a  DNA report. “This will prevent the same bottle being claimed for a return more than once. The scheme might be rolled out for water bottles first, followed by milk polypacks,” the report quoted an official as saying. The official added that shopkeepers may also give consumers coupons to be redeemed at the next purchase. This arrangement may help reimburse the retailers. Buyback scheme for e-commerce companies Maharashtra, home to India’s financial capital of Mumbai, has allowed e-commerce companies to use plastic packaging for three more months, according to a government order. During these three months, e-commerce firms will have to come up with a buyback plan to collect used plastic packaging material, ensure its recycling and disposal as well as source alternative packaging material. The ban, which came into effect on 23 June, had threatened a sharp rise in costs for retailers, beverage makers and sellers of bottled water, among other companies that rely on plastic for packaging. Representatives of **companies** including Amazon, H&M, Pepsi and Coca-Cola, as well as plastic lobby groups, met Maharashtra government officials days before the ban, urging them to implement the rule in phases and relax some norms. [caption id=“attachment_4496999” align=“alignnone” width=“1280”] Representational image. AP[/caption] In its latest order, the government banned the sale of plastic bottles containing drinking water less under 200 milliliters. It also did not specify a buyback price for empty bottles used for selling beverages other than water, a move that could potentially help soft drink makers. The latest rules also exempt the use of plastic packaging of medical equipment and drugs. Plastic could be used for wrapping products by manufacturers, if the material used was thicker than 50 microns, comprised at least 20 percent recyclable material and had the manufacturer’s details and buyback price printed on it, the order said. With inputs from Reuters