Govt plans steep cut in DRS deposit rate before rollout

Panaji: State govt plans to sharply cut the deposit on DRS-covered products following concerns raised by traders and distributors over the deposit refund system (DRS). It has proposed to reduce the deposit on non-liquor items to Rs 1–2 from the existing Rs 5–10.

However, on liquor products it will be between Rs 2 and Rs 10. Similarly, the agency that will collect the products will charge the manufacturing companies between Rs 10 and Rs 12 per tonne to collect the DRS-eligible products.

A senior govt officer said that state govt has put a system in place to implement the DRS in Goa. However, due to the opposition from traders and distributors, state govt has kept the implementation on hold.

“State govt will soon decide on the date to implement the scheme,” the officer said.

The implementation of DRS will protect the environment, reduce the load on oceans, forest ecosystems and result in cleaner beaches, the officer said.

In the DRS, if anyone purchases a non-biodegradable product in the state, the consumer has to pay a fee on that product. This fee will be refunded when the consumer returns the product packaging at a collection point.

DRS-eligible products currently include glass bottles, aluminium cans and plastic bottles. “Consumers can identify these containers through a unique QR code and DRS logo printed on their packaging. However, more categories will be added as the scheme moves forward,” the officer said.

Goa receives tourists, nearly 10 times its population, and this puts a load on municipalities while cleaning. The DRS will strengthen the existing collection and processing ecosystem.

“DRS puts an onus on all the polluters, whether locals or tourists. The system will develop the recycling industry in the state, create green jobs and add to the local economy,” the officer said.

“The ease with which a consumer is buying a product, with the same ease the consumer can return the empty container. DRS enables seamless collection of post-consumer products by incentivising consumers,” the officer said.