Dakshina Kannada Milk Union to collect plastic sachets from October 2

From October 2, the consumers of Nandini brand of milk in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts can return the milk pouches to the Dakshina Kannada Milk Union Ltd after the use. The union, in turn, will send the plastic pouches for recycling.

This also applies to favoured milk products which are sole in PET bottles.

Raviraj Hegde, president of the milk union, said that Dakshina Kannada Milk Union Ltd will be the first among the 14 milk unions under the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) to come out with such an initiative.

He said the union will use the network of 1650 milk dealers and more than 100 milk delivery vehicles to collect the plastic pouches from the milk consumers. He has held meetings with the dealers and vehicle operators to implement this scheme in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi.

Also read:Easing out single-use plastic

He said the union has appointed the Mangaluru-based Nature Friendly Recycle Industries as the nodal agency for the recycling of the plastic pouches and PET bottles collected by it. The proceeds from the sale of plastic pouches and PET bottles will be shared among the dealers and vehicle operators.

Around 3.40 lakh litres of milk are being sold in plastic sachets every day.

The consumers who give the plastic pouches back to the milk union will not get any money in return as of now. However, the milk union will follow the guidelines of Karnataka Milk Federation.

On the likely supply of plastic pouches from milk consumers, he said that the union is taking an initiative to recycle plastic materials. “The outcome of such an initiative is yet to be seen. Many consumers are already selling the plastic pouches to scrap dealers,” he said.

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