Though Goa is not a source of plastic production, the tourist hotpot is unwittingly becoming a sink for plastic waste, retired scientist of the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, B C Choudhary, said while underscoring the urgency in putting some mechanisms in place to tackle the menace.
The retired scientist said awareness that plastics are not welcome in Goa should begin at places like the , with clear and loud messaging for tourists setting foot into Goa.
Without realizing, Goa, a small place, is becoming a plastic sink. Not a source, but a sink. It should be extremely worrying for the State Government, said Choudhary.
He also said that if the Oceans are not protected from plastic waste, fish itself will soon become a rare commodity. Involve fishermen to get ghost nets back from the sea and compensate them for it. We should also cook our own food as much as possible, as purchased food is again packaged in disposable plastics. We should stop using straws. Though it is something small, it contributes to the waste. Close to 20 billion plastic bottles are disposed of every day. This should motivate us to use reusable water bottles instead, said Choudhary.