Ooty: Recycling and recovery of solid waste would go a long way in effective waste-management. The Nilgiris district administration in Tamil Nadu has launched a return-and-earn scheme which aims to curb wanton disposal of liquor bottles that pose to wild animals in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve which is about 68 km from Ooty.
What spurred the move
A high court judges panel which visited Mudumalai last month came across empty liquor bottles strewn along the roads and pathways. They were thrown by visitors in various forest areas of the district.
The judges were so upset that they sought the opinion of authorities regarding the possibility of banning sale of liquor in Nilgiris district.
This led to the government implementing the new scheme of returning used liquor bottles.
How it works
The new scheme has been put in place in all liquor shops in Nilgiris district. is applicable to all types of liquor bottles.
Accordingly, each used liquor bottle returned to liquor shops will fetch Rs 10 apiece.
The government is pasting stickers on liquor bottles being sold from TASMAC shops for this purpose. The liquor bottle for which an additional Rs 10 is paid at the time of purchase should be returned with the sticker to get the same amount back from the liquor outlets.
