Goa gets 300 reverse vending machines for DRS rollout

Panaji: While the rollout of Goa’s Deposit Refund Scheme (DRS) remains uncertain, 300 reverse vending machines to scan and collect waste have arrived in the state. Return centres, where people can manually hand over their waste, will now be installed at identified locations across participating panchayats and urban bodies.

The DRS implementing agency said that more than 65% (127) of the state’s 191 village panchayats have issued no objection Certificates (NOCs) for the installation of reverse vending machines. Additionally, four urban local bodies have also granted NOCs, reflecting steady support for the ambitious rollout.

In North Goa, approximately 60% of village panchayats—73 out of 121—have issued NOCs, while in South Goa, around 77%—54 of 70 panchayats—have come on board. “This strong geographic spread across coastal, hinterland, and urban-influenced regions underscores the DRS’s wide acceptance as a meaningful step towards cleaner, more sustainable communities across Goa,” an official said.

Early support from key municipalities for the installation of DRS collection infrastructure indicates the need for self-sufficient and innovative systems that reduce the financial burden of waste management on urban local bodies (ULBs), the official said. “These NOCs will enable the installation of reverse vending machines and manual collection infrastructure at identified locations. This will also ensure that collection points match community needs, accessibility, and local waste management practices,” the official said.

Anchored by the department of environment and climate change, the DRS is a govt-led waste recovery system that introduces a fully refundable deposit on PET bottles, glass bottles, aluminium cans, and multi-layered packaging. In a presentation to NITI Aayog, Goa’s DRS was applauded as a pioneering initiative, making the state the first in India to bring multi-layered packaging (MLP)—widely regarded as the most challenging category of plastic waste—under the DRS framework.

Live demonstrations were conducted at village panchayats in Bicholim, Canacona, and Bardez, offering residents a firsthand understanding of how returns and instant refunds will work on the ground.

“This scheme is very useful. We cannot keep bins in the village because people dump wet waste in the same bins. As a result, people throw waste along the roadside. Now, because of these machines, people will start depositing their empty bottles in the machines, and they will also get their refund back,” said Savitri Sajaro Ghadi, the sarpanch of Sal village in Bicholim.