Glass bottles are made from sand and are a limited resource. Although it can be recycled technically, due to its weight, risk in handling especially broken ones, its tough to collect store and transport to a recycling facility.
In Goa, we face this issue especially on tourist destinations like beaches, waterfalls, picnic spots where bottles are broken and dumped. Replacing the glass bottles with cans is not the best thing either. Because even cans need to be made from aluminum and that too is a limited resource.
What then are the options we have ?
1. A return policy to be enforced along with a security deposit for whoever buys the drinks.
2. Enforcing the cess which is already there from the various manufacturers. ( Cess notification attached in this post)
3. Have regular collection drives for picking up broken glass by citizens
Just starting this thread so that we can discuss and chalk out plans on this.
Any thoughts or suggestions please #ComePost on the forum
Can the glass not be crushed into coarse size and used in various applications?
Thanks Clinton for those very important insights. Lets try and understand the various facets of the current systems like an estimate of how much would be the waste glass bottles generated, where they are sent for recycling etc. We can then put together a document and make a representation to the Government. Will try to get some more information.
Goa was a unique state that had a glass bottle takeback programme for Beer and Soft drink bottles. In 1997, there were about 7 beer brands and almost all the soft drink companies refunded a bottle deposit when an empty bottle was returned to the store keeper through a reverse vending mechanism. In fact, the deposit value of Rs. 5/- was even printed on some of the beer bottles like 'Kingfisher'. However, shop owners were not happy with this arrangement as they had to keep additional space in their stores for empty bottles and over the years many beer brands either stopped taking back their bottles or reduced the deposit value (Kingfisher reduced it from 5 to 3/-). Finally, on 31st March 2022, Kingfisher stopped printing the bottle deposit value on its labels and stopped accepting bottles altogether. Today, in Goa, in terms of takeback, we have no more programmes left. Read more about it here. https://india.mongabay.com/2021/02/alcohol-bottle-waste-a-transparent-problem-in-goas-beaches/
and this too
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/goas-beaches-filled-with-broken-glasses-other-waste-finds-gu-study/articleshow/88819657.cms
Glass can be recycled easily, and has a much smaller carbon footprint when reused. Many recyclers in Goa, including vRecycle accept glass for recycling and unofficially, over 6 beer companies buy glass bottles from recyclers at a throwaway price of 1 or 2 per bottle. This itself is evidence that the bottle, in unbroken state is still valuable to the manufacturers and the Goa Government as well as GWMC can restart a larger glass bottle standardization and takeback programme that addresses every stakeholders issue. -Clinton.. email: klintvaz at gmail dot com