Himachal: Security fee for plastic use at tourist destinations soon

The Himachal cabinet on Saturday decided to come up with a Deposit Refund Scheme 2025 as a pilot project to effectively manage and reduce non-biodegradable waste. Under this scheme, consumers will pay a refundable deposit over and above the product price which will be returned upon the return of the empty packing material, such as glass bottles, plastic beverage containers, aluminium cans, liquid packaging, flexible plastic packaging and multilayered packages.
The decision regarding where and when it will be implemented will be taken later. Under the new scheme, tourists purchasing plastic or polythene-packed materials will be charged a nominal security fee, which will be refunded upon the return of the packaging. The initiative, which will be monitored via QR codes, is being implemented on a trial basis to assess its effectiveness in reducing waste generation and promoting sustainable tourism practices. Shimla produces nearly 2,800-tonne solid waste, including plastic, and Manali produces over 1,100 tonnes per month. During the tourist season, these two tourist hot spots produce 9,000 tonnes in two months. As per an estimate, 15,000 tonnes of garbage is produced per month in the state where many districts lack garbage disposal mechanism.
'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 and will help address both waste management and pollution concerns,' said industries minister Harshwardhan Chauhan, while briefing the media after the cabinet meeting.
Chauhan said, 'Plastic and polythene are a major challenge in our hill regions. This refundable fee mechanism is a step towards behavioural change. This will be a trial-based scheme, initially to be started at key tourist destinations. This will be based on QR code scanning. Vendors will charge a nominal fee and that will be refunded once plastic pack is submitted at collection centres,' he added.
'Every policy, especially those linked to the environment, must reflect long-term ecological responsibility,' he said.
Himachal was the first state in the South East Asian region to ban coloured polythene recycled bags and also to enact law in 1995 and became the first state in India to ban the plastic and polythene carry bags in 2009. In 2011, plastic cutlery was banned. Later in 2013, with the recommendation of a committee and directions of the HC, single-use snacks' packets, wrappers and other packaging materials and also of plastic, plates besides packed materials, cups and glasses, were banned, but this was challenged in the Supreme Court. The thermocol cutlery was later banned in 2018.
500-ml plastic bottles banned
The Himachal Pradesh government has banned the use of small polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles up to 500 ml from June 1. The state government has urged people to start using glass bottles, water dispensers/kiosks of steel containers, etc.
Suresh Atri, chief scientific officer of the department of environmental science technology and climate change, said that if anyone violates this rule, he may have to pay a fine ranging from ₹500 to ₹25,000. 'This decision has been taken to protect the environment. Effective steps will be taken for recycling PET bottles in Himachal Pradesh,' he added.

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