Maharashtra plastic ban: Govt defers PET bottle buyback to Aug

Mumbai, July 11: The Maharashtra has decided to defer country's first buyback scheme for PET bottles and milk pou by a month after manufacturers failed to submit their plans for collecting and recycling the bottles.

Under this scheme, customers will get back a deposit paid to a retailer on handing PET bottles or milk pouches back to the store. The state is also planning to institute a similar mechanism for tetra packs and retail packaging in three months, The Times of India reported.

The government also believes that the move will help the city overcome the waterlogging issue and the problem of nullahs blockage due to the increasing use of plastic. The report mentions that plastic waste constitutes about 3-5 per cent of all garbage generated in the state.

Besides this, the state government has also introduced a rule, which puts the onus on manufacturers to take responsibility for whatever they produce. As per the 2018 notification regarding the manufacture, usage, sale, transport, handling and storage of plastic, manufacturers have to set up recycling and collection points, so as to collect the plastic they sell to their customers.