Deposit refund scheme for non-biodegradable waste soon

The government will shortly introduce a Deposit Refund Scheme for the management of non-biodegradable waste on an experimental basis at tourist places with high footfall in the state. Under this scheme, consumers will pay a refundable deposit over and above the price of products like glass bottles, plastic beverage containers, aluminium cans, liquid packaging, flexible plastic packaging and multilayered packages. The extra charge paid on the product will be returned upon the return of the empty product at the fixed collection centres at that particular place.

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“The idea is to encourage tourists and vendors to take responsibility for the waste they generate. The scheme will initially be launched in high-footfall areas,” said Industries Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan while briefing the media after the Cabinet meeting.

Emphasising that the scheme was part of a larger effort to safeguard the fragile ecology of the state, the minister said that plastic and polythene were a major challenge in the hilly regions. “The refundable fee mechanism is a step towards bringing behavioural change. This will be based on QR code scanning. The vendor will charge a nominal fee and that will be refunded once plastic pack is disposed of at the collection centre,” he said.

Shimla produces around 2,500 tonne solid waste during the peak tourist season, and a lot of it gets dumped on roads and jungles, causing damage to the ecology.