The village panchayats across Goa have started collecting door-to-door dry garbage in the wake of the “Swachh Bharat” campaign.  Unfortunately, there is no system in place to collect the glass waste such as bottles (whole or broken), tumblers, cups, saucers, discarded tube-lights, bulbs, medicine bottles, vials, window panes, etc.

In the absence of the above system, people generally tend to mix this glass waste in the dry plastic garbage. Those who suffer from “Not in my Backyard” syndrome, simply toss such glass trash in somebody else’s property or dump it along the road side. Such shameful acts are mostly committed in the dark or in the early hours by motorists. The situation is all the more worse on our beaches, where tourists get drunk, leave behind bottles or simply bury them in the sand. This insane method of disposing glass waste is fraught with dangerous consequences as these glass pieces or shards can pierce the feet of the unwary public, causing wounds, infections, etc. The pitiable plight of the affected person, who may be diabetic, can only be left to the imagination. 

The Government should direct the panchayats to have a monthly system of door-to-door collection of glass trash so as to ameliorate the plight of the affected people.