GHMC unveils Cloth Bag ATM in Hyderabad

The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) on Saturday unveiled the first-of-its-kind initiative Any Time Bag (ATB) machine at the IDPL fruit market.

Hyderabad: This ATM is different. This one doesn’t dispense money or Colas but the much needed weapon in the battle against the plastic-driven pollution – a cloth bag.

To address the increasing concerns over usage of single-use plastic and bring behavioural change in the community in an innovative way, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) on Saturday unveiled the first-of-its-kind initiative Any Time Bag (ATB) machine at the IDPL fruit market. And the best part is the machine is driven by solar power.

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The vending machine can accommodate 500 cloth bags and each bag can hold up to 5 kg weight. The same can be collected from the vending machine by inserting Rs 10 coin or note or even making payments through UPI.

The civic body has tied up with women Self Help Groups (SHGs) to produce cloth bags and will provide the required material for SHGs to stitch the bags. After stitching, they will load the same in the vending machine. With this unique initiative, the SHGs on average can earn around Rs 7,500 per month.

GHMC Kukatpally Zonal Commissioner, V Mamatah said they are in the process of identifying areas to install cloth bag dispensing machines across the city, and very soon another such machine will come near JNTU Rythu Bazar.

The GHMC installed the cloth vending machine at the IDPL fruit market in association with MOVAT, under its Corporate Social Responsibility, and United Way of Hyderabad as the implementation partner.

The initiative aims to solve two main pressing issues, i.e., eliminating single-use plastics and reducing unemployment issues among women self-help groups.