The southern bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has ordered the Tamil Nadu government to consider the feasibility of using alternative packaging material for Aavin’s milk packets.
Hearing a petition filed by S.P.Surendranath Karthik, the NGT had earlier asked the Tamilnadu Co-operative Milk Producers Federation Ltd., which owns Aavin, to file an action plan to handle empty milk sachets and recycle them as per the Extended Producer Responsibility.
An inspection carried out by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board in July at Aavin’s Ambattur factory revealed 150 metric tons of waste comprising used crates, butter cartons, milk sachets, damaged pet bottles and ice cream containers were stored in four locations. Subsequently, Aavin submitted before the Tribunal that the waste was cleared and sent to recycling units.
On November 2, the bench comprising Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana and expert member Satyagopal Korlapati suo moto impleaded the Additional Chief Secretary to Departments of Environment, Climate Change and Forests noting that this is a larger issue where the supply of milk is distributed in plastic sachets.
“Let the State government consider whether the plastic sachet can be substituted by any other material viz., glass bottles/reusable or recyclable plastic bottles/ biodegradable or compostable material/any other better material,” the bench ordered and stated that the move is only to restrict the plastic entering the landfill and waterbodies.
