Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday assured the Goa Legislative Assembly that the proposed Deposit Refund Scheme (DRS) will be implemented only after adequate awareness and stakeholder confidence, re sponding to concerns raised by opposition MLAs over the scheme and the planned installation of Reverse Vending Machines (RVMs). Sawant said the initi ative is currently in the awareness phase and has not yet been rolled out on the ground.
The Chief Minister was replying to a Calling Attention mo tion moved by Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao and several MLAs. “The scheme is presently in the awareness stage and will be implemented only after taking all stakeholders into confi dence,” the Chief Minister said, adding that similar deposit re fund systems are already operational in around 50 countries worldwide and are also being tried on a pilot basis in Kedar nath. Opposition members had flagged apprehensions over the introduction of the scheme without adequate orientation or training for stakeholders. Alemao, along with MLAs Altone D’Costa, Carlos Ferreira, Vijai Sardesai, Venzy Viegas, Viresh Borkar, Cruz Silva and Sankalp Amonkar drew attention to con cerns expressed by village panchayats and industry bodies. While legislators acknowledged that the scheme aims to reduce non-biodegradable waste and promote responsible disposal of materials such as alcohol bottles, PET bottles, multi-layered packaging and milk cartons, they questioned its practical implementation. Vijai Sardesai warned that the Deposit Refund Scheme could potentially lead to the harvesting of personal data. He alleged that the scheme may collect information such as mobile numbers and bank details and argued that it should be dropped, stating that implementing it without adequate awareness or stakeholder confidence could make Goa “a laughing stock.” Venzy Viegas also cautioned that the scheme could create difficulties for “three key groups — manufacturers, consum ers and waste managers,” and sought clarity on how the sys tem would function. Alemao further expressed concern about the proposed Reverse Vending Machines, saying that without proper awareness and training the machines could remain unused and turn into “white elephants.” He urged the government to ensure proper ground-level arrangements, including collec tion points in malls and departmental stores. Responding to the concerns, Sawant said a baseline fea sibility study for the scheme had been conducted by the Goa State Pollution Control Board in collaboration with GIZ. The study covered the talukas of Tiswadi and Bardez, and involved consultations with beverage and brewery units, ho tels, Material Recovery Facility operators, scrap dealers and members of the informal waste sector. Based on the findings, the study recommended drafting a DRS policy, appointing an authority, identifying the materi als to be covered, deciding deposit amounts, and ensuring public awareness while integrating the informal waste sec tor. Sawant also informed the House that the Goa Non-Bio degradable Garbage (Control) Act, 1996 had been amended by the Assembly and notified in the Government Gazette on November 9, 2023 to enable implementation of the scheme. He said awareness efforts are already underway. Ac cording to the Chief Minister, the system operator has held one-to-one meetings with 144 village panchayats, while the scheme administrator has conducted nine webinars to spread awareness. Training sessions have also been organ ised for excise inspectors, municipal chief officers and Block Development Officers. Clarifying the status of Reverse Vending Machines, Sawant said they have not yet been deployed since the scheme has not formally begun. He added that once installed, the machines will be maintained and operated by the system operator. The government is also encouraging supermarkets and depart mental stores to act as collection points by offering them a handling fee, which could help increase customer footfall. Sawant further said the operator will explore models for house-to-house collection of DRS packaging by integrating municipal workers, panchayat staff, rag pickers and other informal waste collectors. “The scheme will not have any financial implications for the government,” he said, adding that it would help reduce waste requiring processing, curb roadside and beach lit tering, and minimise garbage black spots by incentivising waste collectors to return recyclable packaging in exchange for deposit refunds. The Chief Minister reiterated that the scheme would be rolled out only after stakeholders express confidence in the system
