Maybe it's just the hoarder in us, but somewhere in Goa, there's a woman who's carefully folding the plastic bag that her vegetables came in and adding it to her collection of plastic bags hanging in her kitchen.
Although her intentions have more to do with the bags coming in handy than it has to do with caring for the environment, she is still ten times better than the man who is currently practicing his shotput skills by flinging used diapers into the field, opposite her house.
Making yet another attempt at waste management, the Goa Waste Management Corporation (GWMC) has come up with an initiative to set up 45 manned waste transfer stations across Goa in the hope that the garbage menace will finally reduce, if not die down.
“GWMC has proposed that the Goa Tourism Department should set up 45 manned waste transfer stations at the entrance of the beaches of Goa and other strategic locations,” said Levinson Martins, Managing Director of Goa Waste Management Corporation.
Garbage dumps are a menace that has not shied away from being prominent members on the streets of smart cities, but over time, the beaches of Goa have also become dumping grounds for all kinds of waste.
Addressing the functionality of the manned waste transfer stations, Martins added, “It is ultimately up to the Tourism Department to set up these stations. I have spoken to a representative and explained the idea to him around 4 to 5 months ago. We are looking at constructing a structure where the waste will be collected, segregated and thereafter stored there until it is transferred for scientific disposal.”
He was of the firm opinion that these proposed waste transfer stations must not become open bins and should be monitored so people do not mess up.
The GWMC has also asked for financial aid from the Central Government and believes if the finances come through, it will be able to go ahead with the initiative on its own.
In the hope of doing better, the GWMC has spent the last three to four years conducting waste management workshops and creating awareness among various local bodies -- panchayats and municipal councillors to name a few -- and will continue to do so.
“Segregation of waste is a law since 2016, but for the last 20 years, awareness in this area has been going on. Although people understand, our goal right now is to educate them on why exactly segregation is important, and ensure that it is done in all seriousness,” Martins explained.
One of the worst forms of garbage are sanitary pads and diapers, “The panchayats and municipalities must under a pact collect pads separately to take them to our biomedical facility,” Martins suggested.
The GWMC initiative of waste transfer stations is one among the many the State has seen before and is yet to come to fruition, but until then waste management boils down to individual responsibility and love for one's surroundings.