PANAJI
Gearing up towards implementation of Asia’s one-of-it-kind deposit refund scheme (DRS) from April 1, 2026 onwards, the State government has constituted a committee under the chairmanship of retired IAS officer Anthony De Sa to perform duties of scheme administrator.
The scheme, initially approved in October 2024, is focused to protect the environment, reduce the load on oceans, forest ecosystems and result in cleaner beaches. DRS means a process or scheme where a refundable deposit secured on a DRS product shall be refunded on return of the product at the collection point to the Redeemer.
De Sa said that Goa will be the first state not only in India but in entire Asia to implement such a scheme. He said a deposit of Rs 5 will apply to plastic bottles and aluminium cans, while Rs 10 will apply to any glass bottle.
According to the scheme, when a consumer buys a DRS-eligible product, this small, fully refundable deposit will be collected on top of the MRP.
The Committee cum Scheme Administrator will be responsible for general management and implementation of the scheme and to weed out all the loopholes or difficulties in its implementation.
“The Administrator shall determine the annual collection targets and shall have powers to amend the targets from time to time,” the notification stated.
De Sa said that the scheme will be implemented across the State from April 1, 2026 onwards. The Administrator is directed to ensure consultation meetings with the stakeholders to brief about the scheme and to hear if any concerns.
For the scheme implementation, the contractor or agencies appointed by the government, will have to set up at least 300 collection machines across collection points, such that at least one automated collection machine to set up in each panchayat area and C class ULBs and at least five in each A class and B class municipal areas.
The contractor will have to ensure that the number of automated machines are increased to at least 400 and within three years from the commencement date to at least 500 across the State.
