Cloth bag vending machines to be commissioned in Vellore, nearby districts

The initiative, being implemented by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, is part of the ‘Meendum Manjapai’ scheme launched by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin in December 2021 to make eco-friendly bags available among the public and to slowly weed out plastic bags

Minister for Highways and PWD E.V. Velu inaugurated a cloth bag vending machine at the recently concluded book fair in Tiruvannamalai town. Collector B. Murugesh is also seen. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Cloth bag vending machines will be set up in Vellore, Ranipet, Tirupattur and Tiruvannamalai districts and the first such machine will be inaugurated in Vaniyambadi town of Tirupattur district on Friday.

Tirupattur Collector D. Bhaskara Pandian will inaugurate the first Manjapai vending machine in the district at the farmers’ market in Vaniyambadi. The initiative, which is being implemented by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB), is part of the ‘Meendum Manjapai’ (return of cloth bag) scheme launched by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin in December 2021 to make eco-friendly bags more available among the public and to slowly weed out plastic bags. “Continuous movement of consumers and traders and safety of the machine are reasons to set up the vending machine at the farmers market. Extension of the initiative to other towns depends on public response,” V. Gopalakrishnan, District Environmental Officer (Tirupattur), said.

Similar to ATM machines, the cloth vending machine will dispense Manjapai on inserting ₹10. Each bag measures around one feet and contains information on protecting animals in Tamil. Each machine costs ₹1 lakh to ₹1.5 lakh, depending on its capacity. Except the machine at Vaniyambadi, which has a capacity of handling 300 bags and will be maintained by TNPCB, other towns will have a capacity of handling at least 500 bags. All machines, which will have round-the-clock power supply, are procured from Coimbatore. 

In the coming days, cloth vending machines will be opened at the Collectorate in Tiruvannamalai town, municipal offices at Ranipet and Arakkonam towns and Corporation office in Vellore. Except in Tiruvannamalai where the machine will be maintained, including refilling of cloth bags by District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) under the supervision of district environmental officer P. Kamaraj, machines in other towns will be maintained by respective local bodies. Later, the maintenance of the machine, including procurement of cloth bags will be handed over to self-help groups (SHGs) to provide them more opportunities to earn.

TNPCB officials said that health teams will continue to check for sale of banned plastic carry bags in the districts and encourage use of cloth bags. The State government had banned single-use plastic items like cups, plates and straws, among others, in 2019.