Cabinet okays hiring of 700 home guards

Cabinet gives nod to scheme; security fee to be refunded once users return packets

- Shailee Dogra

SHIMLA: The Himachal cabinet on Saturday decided to come up with a Deposit Refund Scheme 2025 as a pilot project to effectively manage and reduce non-biodegradable waste. Under this scheme, consumers will pay a refundable deposit over and above the product price which will be returned upon the return of the empty packing material, such as glass bottles, plastic beverage containers, aluminum cans, liquid packaging, flexible plastic packaging and multilayered packages.

The decision regarding where and when it will be implemented will be taken later. Under the new scheme, tourists purchasing plastic or polythene-packed materials will be charged a nominal security fee, which will be refunded upon the return of the packaging. The initiative, which will be monitored via QR codes, is being implemented on a trial basis to assess its effectiveness in reducing waste generation and promoting sustainable tourism practices. Shimla produces nearly 2,800-tonne solid waste, including plastic, and Manali produces over 1,100 tonnes per month. During the tourist season, these two tourist hot spots produce 9,000 tonnes in two months. As per an estimate, 15,000 tonnes of garbage is produced per month in the state where many districts lack garbage disposal mechanism.