Kerala government scraps plan to replace plastic bottles at Bevco

KOCHI: Though the state government had previously announced in its liquor policy that plastic liquor bottles would be gradually phased out, the plan has been shelved because of pressure from liquor companies, sources said.

On an average, 9.5 lakh liquor bottles are sold daily through Kerala State Beverages Corporation’s (Bevco) 277 outlets across the state, with 70% of these being plastic bottles. Liquor companies are of the view that glass bottles are not manufactured in Kerala and that importing them from other states is expensive. As Bevco has the monopoly to hike the liquor price, they passed the buck to the corporation, forcing the authorities to backtrack from its policy.

The improper disposal of empty liquor bottles on roadsides, vacant plots, and in canals and streams with impunity has exacerbated the garbage menace, as seen in the death of a sanitation worker in the Amayizhanchan canal in Thiruvananthapuram. Bevco, in collaboration with the Suchitwa Mission, had chalked out a plan to collect unusable bottles and deliver them to recycling facilities with the help of Kudumbashree workers. But the initiative was abandoned because of financial constraints and a lack of storage facilities, sources said.

The government’s policy is to phase out non-recyclable and non-biodegradable plastic bottles and replace them with environment-friendly, reusable glass bottles. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan stated in the assembly last year that waste disposal is a priority for the government and the phasing out of plastic bottles used for the distribution of alcohol is being considered because of their environmental impact.

Cherian Philip, the former coordinator of the LDF government’s Nava Kerala Mission, alleged that the government abandoned all its missions, including the plastic ban announced five years ago.

“All the missions have failed to achieve their objective,” he said.

With there being approximately 18 distilleries or bottling units in the state, the cost difference between plastic and glass bottles is significant. While a 750ml plastic bottle costs between Rs 10 and Rs 13, a glass bottle costs between Rs 20 and Rs 30. The cost of breakage during loading and unloading also deters companies from switching to glass bottles, it is learnt.

“Since Bevco is not a producer company, it has to formulate a scheme under which liquor companies can take back the used bottles. The Tamil Nadu government has launched a scheme where an additional Rs 10 is charged from the customers and the money is returned when they submit the empty bottle. Bevco can look at these kinds of options,” said a source.