COIMBATORE: In a move aimed at reducing plastic waste in the ecologically sensitive Nilgiris, an automatic vending machine (AVM) has been launched to dispense Aavin milk in the tourist town without the need for conventional plastic sachets.

Nilgiris District Collector Lakshmi Bhavya Tanneeru on Monday (August 17) inaugurated the pilot project near the Uzhavar Sandhai in Ooty. The machine has a 200-litre capacity and is equipped to store milk at 4°C, ensuring it remains refrigerated until dispensed.

“The AVM accepts cash, ATM cards and UPI payments. When a customer pays in cash, the machine automatically calculates the corresponding quantity of milk and dispenses it, making the transaction entirely automated. The system is also integrated with software that enables real-time monitoring of the quantity of milk available and the number of days it has been stored,” the District Collector said in a statement.

At present, one variety of milk is being sold through the machine at Rs 54 a litre. Additional varieties may be introduced depending on consumer demand.

Customers can bring their own cans, containers, cups or tumblers and purchase the quantity they require directly from the machine.

Officials said the number of AVMs could be increased at other locations depending on the response from consumers.

The initiative marks a revival of the concept of milk vending machines, popularly known as ‘button paal’, which had earlier been used in the State. Those machines were discontinued in 2014 following complaints of adulteration in milk sold through them.