Location: Goa
Status: Completed
Year of Completion: 2016

CCF recently undertook this project because Goa has been experiencing an increasing solid waste management problem. There are numerous factors contributing to this problem, ranging from weak institutional support to problems with governance, inadequately managed and uncontrolled dump sites, and lack of awareness of disposal and treatment methods. All of this means that Goa, once admired for its pristine environment, is now littered with garbage, and its water resources contaminated and unsafe for drinking or use in the paddy fields.

There are multiple stakeholders in the Waste Management System and all of them feel the strain of this problem at some level. The administration is faced with the challenge of operating and maintaining a Waste Management System with limited funding while trying to increase efficiency. Added to that are the insufficient infrastructure, the low technical expertise of the staff, lack of a workforce in the primary and secondary waste process and a prolonged bureaucratic process for kick-starting any new initiatives.

Part A of this project consisted of a preliminary study of the solid waste management systems practiced across the state of Goa, which allowed us to also identify the gaps in the process. Next, we will consider solutions for addressing these gaps and submit a policy proposal to reduce plastic waste, consolidate waste, and implement grassroots waste collection systems that complement the new infrastructure provided by the state government.