Bevco makes U-turn on plastic bottle return scheme; bottles won’t be accepted from today

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala State Beverages Corporation (Bevco) has made a U-turn on its plastic bottle return scheme and will stop accepting plastic bottles from Thursday. Bevco managing director has issued an order withdrawing the scheme. The shift system at Bevco outlets has also been discontinued.

The decision to withdraw the scheme was taken citing the increased workload on employees and environmental concerns. The scheme was launched on a trial basis at 20 outlets in Thiruvananthapuram and Kannur last October. There were plans to expand it across the state.

Under the scheme, customers purchasing liquor in plastic bottles were charged an additional ₹20 as a deposit. The amount was refunded when the empty bottle was returned to the same outlet.

Plans were also made to expand the scheme statewide, with customers allowed to return bottles at any outlet, irrespective of where they had purchased them. Though Bevco had announced that the Deposit Refund Scheme would be implemented at all Bevco and Consumerfed outlets across the state from January, it was not rolled out.

The expansion was hindered by opposition from Consumerfed and the failure to find a suitable company after tenders were invited for collecting the bottles. The practice of some customers bringing back plastic bottles in large quantities, sometimes in sacks, had also created difficulties for employees.