Vending

India’s Tamil Nadu state approves automated liquor bottle returns

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November 5, 2026

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Tamil Nadu, a state in southern India, has approved a phased transition to reverse vending machines and other authorized collection points for its liquor bottle buyback program, DT Next reported. Consumers will receive digital refunds worth approximately 12 U.S. cents per eligible bottle, with collection duties shifting from Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corp., or TASMAC, retail employees to an outside operator.

Under the government order cited by the newspaper, the operator will provide workers, operate the machines and manage bottle storage and transportation. Customers will be able to return bottles at authorized collection points without visiting the store where they purchased the liquor. The change follows employee protests over the workload associated with manually processing returns.

The rollout will proceed by region, with existing collection arrangements continuing until the replacement system begins operating. Current collection and disposal contracts will end in accordance with their terms as each region transitions. Machines have already been tested at selected outlets in Chennai, the state capital.