CHENNAI: TASMAC is set to introduce a new system to collect empty liquor bottles directly from vehicles at select liquor shops and refund the Rs 10 deposit using a device called a ‘Fast Scanner’.
According to a Daily Thanthi report, under the existing empty bottle return scheme, a Rs 10 deposit is collected for each liquor bottle. The amount can be refunded by returning the empty bottle to the store where it was purchased or to authorised collection centres.
Under the new system, an employee stationed in a vehicle with a scanner will scan the sticker on the empty bottle when it is returned. The bottle will then be collected and Rs 10 refunded to the customer.
It is estimated that up to 8,000 bottles can be returned through this method in a day.
Most TASMAC shops operate in limited spaces, making it difficult to install automated bottle collection machines. Hence, the Fast Scanner system is being considered for shops that sell liquor worth more than Rs 10 lakh a day but have limited space.
The Fast Scanner system has been installed on a trial basis at one liquor shop each in Thiruvallikeni and Egmore in Chennai.
Meanwhile, the empty bottles collected through the vehicles will be handed over to contractors appointed by TASMAC.