Aavin, which uses close to 40 lakh plastic milk packets a day to distribute around 23 lakh litres of milk, is planning to roll out a buyback policy. It will soon start collecting the used plastic packets at its depots and zonal offices through delivery boys. This is to prevent customers from disposing of plastic milk covers in garbage bins.
“We are currently working out the modalities of taking the covers back. Already plastic film that gets damaged during the filling process at our dairies is auctioned off through MSTC Limited. We will utilise their services for the covers too,” Aavin Managing Director C. Kamaraj told The Hindu .
Sustainable choice
Though the State government has granted exemption to milk and oil from the ban on single-use plastics, the Tamil Nadu Cooperative Milk Producers Federation, whose brand is known as Aavin, has already started replacing plastics with more sustainable materials. For instance, from January 1 it switched over to stainless steel tumblers and ceramic cups to serve hot milk at its parlours. The plastic straws that come with its flavoured milk cartons will soon be replaced with paper straws.
“We are waiting for the current batch to get over. In Chennai city, we use close to 4 lakh straws every month during non-peak months and from March to June that number doubles. Even though we have exemption for milk, we are looking at alternatives to our packaging,” Mr. Kamaraj added.
The milk major is also working on converting the plastic boxes in which it packs milk-based sweets to cardboard boxes. It has stopped providing plastic carry bags to customers at its retail parlours and has begun using paper bags.
