Mapusa: Goa’s first-of-its-kind dry waste collection centre (DWCC) that will allow residents of Bardez taluka to deposit segregated dry waste and receive incentives in return was inaugurated in Mapusa on Tuesday.
Deputy speaker and local MLA Joshua D’Souza said the centre has been set up at a cost of Rs 10 lakh. “We are happy to get the state’s first –of-its-kind dry waste center at Mapusa where people can come and deposit dry waste and get incentives depending upon the waste. This location, which was earlier highlighted for negative reasons, will now contribute to a cleaner Mapusa,” he said.
D’Souza added that the collected waste will be sent to the material recovery facility (MRF) shed in Cunchelim for further processing and suggested setting up similar centres in key movement areas.
The initiative, funded under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) by Mondelez International, has been implemented by Anubhuti Welfare Foundation for the Mapusa Municipal Council.
GSPCB chairperson Mahesh Patil urged residents to support the initiative, stating that directives alone would not be enough. “Everyone must come together and play their role,” he said, adding that Mondelez International, Anubhuti Foundation, and the municipal council collaborated to address Mapusa’s waste management challenges.
Anubhuti Foundation’s Ila Joseph said that the initiative aligns with the Plastic Lighthouse Project, aimed at maximising resource recovery. “Materials like plastic and paper can be recycled and brought back into circulation,” she said.
Located opposite Union Pharmacy in Mapusa, the centre was inaugurated by D’Souza in the presence of Mapusa Municipal Council (MMC) chairperson Priya Mishal, Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) chairperson Mahesh Patil, Sonal Mehta from Mondelez, Ila Joseph, project head of Anubhuti Welfare Foundation, and others.
