The Goa government has announced plans to establish 100 bio-digesters or composting facilities across the state as part of a ?50 crore initiative to manage decentralised wet waste. A senior government official revealed that these bio-digesters will be installed at high-waste-generation sites, targeting major bulk waste producers to reduce the load on centralised waste management facilities.

“The goal is to treat organic waste at its source, alleviating pressure on the Goa Waste Management Corporation’s (GWMC) integrated waste management facilities,” the official explained.

The strategically located bio-digesters will be designed to facilitate efficient waste processing and reduce transportation costs for waste disposal. The overall estimated cost for this decentralised waste management project is ?50 crore.

In a separate development, the state government has granted approval to Gas Authority of India Ltd (GAIL) to set up a 150-tonne-per-day compressed bio-gas (CBG) plant in Goa. Although GAIL initially proposed the Verna site, the government has decided to identify an alternative location.

Additionally, the government has approved the construction of 200 Material Recovery Facility (MRF) stations throughout Goa for decentralised waste management, with an estimated cost of ?30 crore. These MRF stations will be strategically located across the state's 191 panchayats and 14 municipal councils.

The GWMC has also designed a prototype for the MRF stations, where the public will be able to directly deposit segregated waste. These stations will be manned to ensure proper handling and processing, helping to address the issue of waste littering in rural and urban areas.