The Deposit Refund Scheme (DRS) pertains to the return of recyclable materials (cans, bottles etc.), on which an extra amount (Rs 2 to 10) would be charged to consumers. The money would be refunded to those who return the materials. A Bengaluru-based company bagged the contract to install 300 reverse vending machines (RVM) in Goa. These were displayed at an exhibition at Campal, at the ESG, at the KTC bus terminus, and on 5 June, one was installed at INS Mandovi, Verem.
In May 2022, a pilot DRS was launched at the pilgrimage places of Kedarnath and Char Dham (Uttarakhand); in Aug 2025, during the Mani Mahesh Yatra (Himachal Pradesh); and at Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh). This was to discourage lakhs of people from carrying and disposing plastic bottles at these holy places.
In Goa, there has been a movement against DRS due to several constraints that will hamper the return of materials and claiming refunds on them. The government asserts that several panchayats have agreed to install the RVM. For some unknown reasons, the DRS is being thrust in Goa.
If the scheme is supposedly feasible, why is it not implemented in Karnataka? Karnataka’s current waste management is governed by Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) guidelines under the Plastic Management Rules. The company could initiate DRS in Bengaluru as profits there would be much larger than in Goa.
There needs to be a re-think on the DRS. Instead of initially charging the consumers, those who return the materials could get a refund (Rs 2 or 3) for all types of recyclable products. This will encourage consumers, environmentally conscious people and ragpickers to use the RVM. This method is practised in some foreign countries.
