CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (Tasmac) has found a tech solution to implement the empty liquor bottle collection scheme, which has become a headache for the liquor corporation due to opposition from employees at retail vending shops who claim manual collection will overburden the existing workforce.Tasmac has tied up with Hyderabad-based waste management firm Recykal to supply AI-enabled automated bottle collection units to all liquor shops in the state, and the first unit will be installed at an outlet in Egmore on a trial basis. Based on the results, similar units would be installed in all liquor shops.If someone wants to return an empty liquor bottle to get Rs 10, collected over MRP during purchase, reimbursed, he/she can just drop the empty bottle in the unit after scanning the bottle and scan the QR code displayed on the unit to get Rs 10 get credited into their UPI account. The unit has how-to-use instructions displayed to guide those returning the bottles.Each unit can store up to 3,000 empty liquor bottles at a time and would alert the bottle collection agents through SMS and WhatsApp when the unit nears its full capacity. The unit is also capable of sorting the bottles depending on its size, and bottle collection agents just need to replace the trays. The bulk deposit of empty liquor bottles is also possible to make it easier for Tasmac-attached bars to return the bottles. “It just needs a power source and should ideally stay indoors,” said an official.Tasmac has implemented the empty liquor bottle collection scheme as directed by Madras high court to reduce pollution. As per the scheme, liquor buyers should pay Rs 10 extra over MRP during purchase, the same can be returned at the respective shop to get the money back. After the scheme was declared successful at hill stations, it was expanded across the state. However, Tasmac workers are opposing the scheme citing that they have been overburdened. They demanded additional manpower to collect bottles and store them. In Chennai, the scheme was deferred after workers protested closing the liquor shops before elections. But Tasmac management wants to install automated collection units in Chennai in the first phase and cover the districts in subsequent phases.
