Page 40 - Plastics News - April 2026
P. 40
ENVIRONMENT NEWS
individual, capital-intensive take-back systems higher-value outputs while reducing the need for
under the national EPR framework, they will pay energy-intensive processing.
annual fees to access this unified network, sig-
nificantly lowering collection costs while ensur- Industry transition underway
ing full legal compliance. Preparations are underway for brand owners,
Infrastructure rollout gains momentum bottlers, and retailers through phased techni-
cal integration. Brand owners and bottlers are
On implementation readiness, D’Sa says the im- updating labelling lines to incorporate the seri-
mediate focus is identifying locations for the ini- alised QR codes required for the Goan market.
tial 350 RVMs, with at least one planned in every
panchayat area. Some panchayats will host mul- On the financial transition, D’Sa notes the sys-
tiple machines based on population density and tem shifts from variable collection costs to a pre-
tourist footfall, while towns will see significantly dictable per-unit deposit prepaid into a central
higher deployment. The machines are already escrow account. Retailers are being sensitised
under manufacture, and collection routes are to their role in deposit collection and refund pro-
being finalised. cessing alongside consumer awareness efforts.
The backend ecosystem is being built in parallel. He adds that the digital, UPI-based refund mech-
A network of collection hubs is being established anism helps ease retailer concerns around cash
for secondary sorting and baling of returned flow and small-change handling, though the
materials. In high-tourism zones, reverse logis- transition will initially require inventory manage-
tics are being streamlined through partnerships ment adjustments.
with existing waste management bodies and lo- Formalising waste pickers
cal village panchayats.
A central pillar of the scheme is informal sector
Cleaner feedstock for recyclers inclusion. D’Sa notes that waste pickers current-
For recyclers, the scheme could significantly im- ly sell PET bottles or aluminium cans by weight,
prove material quality. where prices are often low and volatile. Under
DRS, the value is fixed to the deposit amount per
“Indian recyclers often struggle with contaminat- unit, typically higher than the raw scrap value.
ed waste from mixed streams or landfill sourc-
ing. Under DRS, the entire supply chain will shift Any individual—including waste pickers—can re-
toward source-segregated, high-purity waste turn DRS packaging in bulk to designated cen-
streams,” says D’Sa. tres and claim the fixed deposit per container,
effectively earning more for the same effort.
He explains that direct returns by consumers and The scheme also provides for registration of
waste pickers will reduce contamination. The waste pickers, scrap dealers, and kabaadi net-
structural integrity and homogeneity of materi- works with Aadhaar-linked identities and bank
als will improve, enabling recyclers to produce accounts, formalising Goa’s informal waste sec-
42 PLASTICS NEWS April 2026
