New Delhi: Liquor stores in Tamil Nadu have launched an automated machine to collect liquor bottles and refund customers Rs 10 per unit. The first such machine—which is AI-enabled—became functional in Egmore, Chennai, on Monday.
This new initiative by the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC) is a way to implement the court-mandated liquor bottle return scheme. Since all collection of bottles and dispensation of refund can now happen automatically, it also solves the problems of employees who were concerned about the scheme increasing the workload.
The Madras High Court had directed the state to figure out a collection process of used alcohol bottles to reduce pollution.
The automated units, the first of which is now installed and working, are supplied by the Hyderabad-based waste management firm named Recykal. As per reports, the machine in Egmore is part of a trial. Based on the outcome, similar units will be installed across the state, according to reports.
In a video report by India Today, customers at the Egmore TASMAC could be seen scanning the bottle barcode and depositing the bottle in the machine. Then a QR code would be displayed, which the customers scan to receive the refund in their UPI-linked bank account. This Rs 10 was an amount the customers had paid while buying the bottle.
The said unit can reportedly store more than 3,000 bottles and also alerts collection agents through SMS and WhatsApp when it gets full.
“It is also capable of sorting bottles based on size and supports bulk deposits from bars attached to TASMAC outlets,” as per a DT Next report.
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Bottle ku 10 ruba
In the background of TASMAC’s recent move is the “Bottle ku 10 ruba” discourse, which literally translates to Rs 10 per bottle. For years, TASMAC was accused of charging Rs 10 extra over the printed price on liquor bottles.
ED allegedly uncovered corruption worth over Rs 1,000 crore in the state-run liquor store operations in 2025. The investigation agency had also made the accusation that TASMAC was charging extra on alcohol bottles.
“The findings confirm a network where unaccounted cash was deliberately generated through inflated and bogus expenses and subsequently utilized for purposes leading to huge profits.”
The opposition parties had also raised the matter. When AIADMK General Secretary and Leader of the Opposition, Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) reached Coimbatore for the election campaign, he targeted the then-Prohibition and Excise Department minister V. Senthil Balaji by calling him “ten rupees Balaji.”
It was Chief Minister Vijay who started the viral ‘Bottle ku 10 ruba’ cultural-political moment in 2025 during his election campaign. In a speech made at Karur, Vijay repeated the phrase so many times in such a rhythm that it caught on among the masses. Several content creators adapted the phrase in their own way and made audio-video edits of it go viral. It was also remixed with a very popular song featuring Vijay.