Plastic ban may hit Maha milk supply

Shiv Kumar

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Tribune News Service

Mumbai, December 9

The Maharashtra Government’s ban on plastic bags is likely to affect the supply of milk in the state from January 1, according to the state’s dairy owners.

“We have stopped ordering plastic pouches to package milk and the existing stock will be exhausted in the next few days,” says Prakash Kutwal, Secretary, Milk Producers and Processors Association. According to him, dairies in the state have to start the purchase of used milk pouches and send them for recycling from January 1. “Milk producers do not have the infrastructure to repurchase used milk bags and get them recycled,” Kutwal said.

Milk producers say customers in Mumbai, Pune and other cities will have to buy milk in bottles and tetra-packs from December 15 as dairies exhaust their stock of pouches.

The government, however, debunks the claim of dairies that the use of plastic to pack milk has been banned. “The government has not banned the use of plastic packaging in milk. The dairies will have to buy used milk bags for 50 paise and Re 1 from customers and get them recycled,” Environment Minister Ramdas Kadam said.

Retailers in Mumbai say it is impossible for them to buy used bags from customers. Though mandatory, retailers are asking customers to deposit used soft-drink bottles at companies’ depots even though they get a handling charge per bottle. 

Meanwhile, Maharashtra’s dairies say they will supply milk in bottles and tetrapacks after increasing the price.