Mah asks dairies to submit milk pouches buyback mechanism plan

Days after dairies threatened to stop the sale of milk in plastic pouches, the Maharashtra government Tuesday asked them to submit the buyback mechanism plan for the used pouches in the next two months.

The direction was given during a meeting that the government held with the representatives of dairies here.

An official from the state Environment department said the meeting was called in the wake of dairies threatening to stop the sale of milk in plastic pouches saying the plastic manufacturers had decided to go on indefinite strike from December 15.

Environment Minister Ramdas Kadam, who chaired the meeting, said there is no ban on the use of plastic pouches for milk.

"We have discussed all the issues in the meeting. I have asked the dairies to submit the buyback mechanism plan in next two months and everyone has agreed to it," Kadam said.

Dairy Development Minister Mahadev Jankar, Minister of State for Environment Pravin Pote, Minister of State for Dairy Development Arjun Khotkar, Congress leader and Opposition Leader in the Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil and NCP leader Ajit Pawar also attended the meeting.

As per the notification issued by the environment department on March 23, dairies should use plastic bags not less than 50 micron thickness for milk packaging.

Besides, it should also print a buyback price not less than 50 paise to develop the buyback mechanism for recycling. As per the notification, the dairies were expected to set up the buyback mechanism by July 11 this year.

"Although the deadline has lapsed, we were not insisting the dairies to come up with buyback mechanism considering the ongoing crisis in the sector," the official said.