Udhagamandalam: In a bid to eliminate plastic waste and recycle banned PET bottles, the Nilgiris district administration installed five reverse vending machines (RVM) in Ooty and Coonoor on Monday. Inaugurated by the Nilgiris collector J Innocent Divya, the RVMs for plastic bottle collection and recycling were fixed in Government Botanical Garden, Ooty lake, Commercial Road, Ooty central bus stand and Coonoor bus stand. The collector said, “The current linear economic approach of ‘take-make-dispose’ is proving to be inefficient and adversely affecting the environmental health on the whole. Hence, the solution lies in replacing the existing economic models with circular economic models by stopping the usage of non-recycled plastics. The aim is to ensure the collection and recycling of every last plastic bottle consumed in Ooty, besides other recyclable plastic items.” Ajay Mishra, CEO of Biocrux and manufacturers of the RVM machines said, “To address the issue of environmental degradation, it is crucial to sensitize citizens about proper disposal and plastic waste recycling. In our current practices, we litter highly recyclable materials like PET bottles, which can be traded since it has a high recycling value.” For every plastic bottle deposited, the depositor will be rewarded a cashback in the form of Paytm coupon. These machines can shred and store up to 1,500 plastic bottles, which will later be transported to the recyclers based in Gujarat and Maharashtra. The recyclers will turn these bottles into flakes/granules to prepare textile thread to make t-shirts, athletic shoes, luggage, upholstery and sweaters besides industrial strapping, sheet and film and automotive parts.
Reverse vending machines have been introduced in the central district of Tamil Nadu , India , in a bid to increase the recycling of plastic bottles . Five machines have been placed around the district . They can store and shred up to 1,500 plastic bottles , which are then transported to recycling facilities to be used in the preparation of textiles for t - shirts , shoes , luggage , automotive parts and more . The depositor is rewarded with cashback via a Paytm card .