After nine months of the plastic ban, the State government in December informed milk pouch manufacturers to apply for Extended Producers Responsibility (EPR) mechanism wherein there would be a buyback price of milk pouches.
As per the notification issued by the environment department on March 23, dairies should use plastic bags of not less than 50 microns thickness to package milk. Besides, they should print a buyback price, of not less than 50 paise, for these pouches. This would then enable a buyback mechanism for recycling the plastic pouches. The dairies were expected to set up such a mechanism by July 11.
Prakash Kutwal, secretary of the Milk Producers and Processors Welfare Association, said, “Dairies do not have the expertise which is needed to set up the buyback mechanism. Earlier, when the plastic was banned, milk pouches were excluded from the ban and now, the government wants that companies and dairies should apply for a buyback scheme as per the EPR along with the companies that manufacture
the pouches.”
Kutwal further added, “There are no guidelines for the EPR mechanism provided by the State government yet. We are still working with government officials to deal with its alternatives. Even the government does not have any expertise in providing the alternatives.”
