Panaji: Eight industry bodies urged state govt to defer the Deposit Refund Scheme (DRS), set to begin on April 1, warning it will raise costs for consumers and create logistical challenges without adequate infrastructure.The scheme will require consumers to pay a deposit of Rs 2 to Rs 10 on items sold in plastic and glass packaging, including alcohol bottles, multilayered wrappers, and milk cartons. To claim refunds, they must save empty packaging and return it to collection centres for digital reimbursement.Eight industry bodies, including the Indian Beverage Association (IBA), Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), PET Packaging Association for Clean Environment (PACE), Action Alliance for Recycling Beverage Cartons (AARC), Goa State Industries Association (GSIA), Goa Chamber of Commerce & Industry (GCCI), and Feminine & Infant Hygiene Association (FIHA), wrote to state govt expressing concern about the DRS implementation.“The consumers will be required to save the empty wrappers and glass bottles and bring them to collection centres. Goans will now have to pay twice for the management of the same waste by way of periodic household waste management fees as well as the deposit amount under DRS,” said the joint statement issued by IBA, AARC, FIHA, and PACE.The industry bodies said that the 300 waste collection points being set up are insufficient and poorly located, particularly for urban residents. They also questioned the need for the scheme given Goa’s existing door-to-door waste collection system, and called for a joint working group of industry, consumer representatives, local bodies, and technical experts before rollout.However, the Goa DRS administrative committee rejected these concerns, saying the scheme will ensure that those who actually collect and segregate waste get money directly into their accounts.Chairperson of the committee Anthony de Sa said the scheme corrects a long-standing imbalance. “DRS rewards responsible behaviour towards waste management, creates better income opportunities for the informal sector, and addresses waste management challenges in a tourism-driven region like Goa.”The department says waste pickers and scrap dealers could earn up to Rs 250 for 50 PET bottles, 10 times their current earnings. Glass bottles could fetch Rs 10 per unit, a fivefold increase, while multilayered plastic packets, currently worthless, could generate Rs 200 per 100 packets returned.The committee says that while urban waste collection reached near-universal coverage, weaknesses persist in treatment and recycling at the village level.
