Liquor bottle buyback scheme: Tasmac tells Madras HC it is considering proposal to add ₹10 refundable deposit to MRP
The Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC) is proposing to add a ₹10 refundable deposit to the MRP of liquor bottles to fund a new bottle buyback and recycling scheme. The plan involves shifting the responsibility for collection and disposal to liquor manufacturers.
Why it matters
This initiative represents a significant shift in waste management policy for the state-run liquor monopoly, aiming to reduce environmental pollution through manufacturer-led recycling.
The Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC) on Friday (July 10, 2026) told the Madras High Court that it proposes to include the refundable deposit of ₹10, being collected from individual customers as part of the empty bottle buyback scheme, in the maximum retail price (MRP) of every liquor bottle.
A special Division Bench of Justices N. Sathish Kumar and D. Bharatha Chakravarthy was told that TASMAC also proposes to assign the responsibility of collection, transportation, recycling and disposal of the empty liquor bottles on the liquor manufacturers after permitting them to increase the MRP by ₹10.
Filing a status report before the Bench, TASMAC managing director K. Nanthakumar said, the corporation began examining the possibility of restructuring the existing mechanism for the empty bottle buyback scheme only on the basis of legal opinion tendered by Advocate General Vijay Narayan on June 17, 2026.
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