Audit finds less than 5% of roadside waste covered
PANAJI
The Waste Management Association – Goa (WMAG) has raised serious concerns over the Deposit Refund Scheme (DRS) proposed to be rolled out in April, warning that it will have little impact on reducing street litter in the State as less than five per cent of the items found in roadside waste audits fall under the first phase of the scheme.
Between February 23 and 25, WMAG volunteers conducted waste audits across multiple litter-prone sites in North and South Goa, identified with inputs from the Goa Waste Management Corporation. Using a standardised protocol, teams collected and segregated 50 kgs of waste from each location into five categories – wet waste, DRS recyclables, non-DRS recyclables, sanitary waste, and rejects.
The findings paint a stark picture. Nearly half of the waste comprised non-recyclable rejects such as contaminated single-use plastics (SUP), cloth, rubber, and coconut waste, pointing to poor enforcement of the SUP ban.
Organic waste made up almost one-third, indicating widespread dumping of mixed waste without segregation. Sanitary waste accounted for nearly 10 per cent, highlighting the need for affordable disposal options.
High-value recyclables like glass bottles, PET bottles, and aluminium cans were found in very low quantities, suggesting they are already recovered due to their scrap value.
WMAG argues that implementing DRS on items already recycled will disrupt existing systems, while failing to address the bulk of Goa’s litter problem. Instead, the association suggests extending DRS to hard-to-dispose items such as sanitary pads, diapers, SUP, and multi-layer plastics, where a deposit could create artificial value and discourage littering.
The association also criticized the proposed monopoly of a single DRS operator over recyclables, warning it would undermine the work of multiple waste management organizations already active in Goa.
It further cautioned that imposing high deposits on everyday items would burden consumers who already segregate waste and pay garbage taxes.
