DKMUL’s call on milk sachets, pet bottles fails to catch attention

The call by Dakshina Kannada Cooperative Milk Producers Union Limited (DKMUL) to take back milk sachets and plastic pet bottles has failed to catch the attention of consumers.

“We are not getting milk sachets and pet bottles back from out consumers. People can call the helpline given behind the sachets if dealers or transporters refuse to take back empty sachets,” Raviraj Hegde, DKMUL president, said.

Mr. Hegde launched the scheme to collect washed milk sachets and pet bottles on October 2. Washed milk sachets and used pet bottles had to be given by consumers to Nandini dealers who will send them back to DKMUL for recycling.

DKMUL sells over 3.45 lakh litres of milk per day in sachets of half litre, one litre and five litre capacity. The network of over 1,650 dealers and 104 milk delivery vans collect the used sachets and pet bottles. The union appointed Mangaluru-based Nature Friendly Recycle Industries and Dry Waste Handling as the nodal agency for recycling plastic products.

In the one month since the launch of the scheme, Mr. Hedge said, the union has not received any single cover. “This may be because we do not have the scheme of buying back the covers. The consumers prefer to give the sachets to scrap dealers (who pay around ₹ 6 per kg),” Mr. Hedge said and added that bulk milk consumers were disposing of milk sachets on their own.

DKMUL Managing Director G.V. Hegde said that the pet bottles, which are made of good food grade material, were being re-used by consumers. “We will be happy if these plastics are safely disposed of,” he said.

Manager (marketing), DKMUL, Jayadevappa K. said that the union will shortly provide bins to 32 milk parlours for collection of 200 ml sachets of lassi, which were being disposed of in the open now.