Every day all the local papers run aricles on this subject, the public are very very concerned indeed about it, but as always you come up against the inertia and corruptness of politics in India at large. I,m not sure who the tourist could complain to as the local people are complaining long and hard with little effect. The final sanction of course is to vote with your feet and take your custom elsewhere but that wo'nt help, I fear as the problem is India wide. Alan

I agree with you, Gramps, about rubbish being a nationwide problem.

We went to Hampi and stayed in Hospet and there was lots of rubbbish dumped on the side of the roads, much more than in North Goa.

We were in Candolim in Feb/March 06 and one of the chaps at the Elephant shop told us that there had been a meeting and the shops had agreed not to supply plastic bags unless requested and then to charge 10 rps for them.
We always took our own bag to the shop to carry our purchases away in, but I think that a lot of tourists would not be put off by a 10rps charge.

Polly

I must admit that it was the one thing about Goa I did not like , we used the river end of Baga beach and the dirt tracky bit behind where the taxis pull up was usually strewn with litter.

Back in the seventies garbage/rubbish was not a problem in Goa. Nowadays it is a problem. Would we as tourists be part of the problem? If we had not invaded Goa in thousands and thousands over the years then maybe they would not have the amount of rubbish that is generated.

How many tourists actually play their part by picking up litter if they see it.
It doesn't happen in the Uk so no chance in Goa.

maybe we should get all the tourists up early from their hangovers to do a 'litter pick' each morning. We could show an example to the locals.

I think Predgooner is right. I know I stupidly think rubbish in Goa is sent to a land fill or some such as we have in the UK but I should know better (all those plastic bottles at the back of Candolim Beach by the beach road) but I certainly don't add to the problem by dropping litter anywhere or by leaving rubbish on the beach - in fact I smoke and would rather use an old ciggie packet as a rubbish/collection point rather than leave anything on the beach. Of course I then take it home and put in the bin - but where does it go from there!!!! As far as litter on the street is concerned I have to say the only people I have ever seen dropping any is the Goan's and visitors from other states, which is a shame! Does not seem to have the same stigma is it does over here - I hate people who drop litter in the streets - anywhere!

So, what do we do? I also remember Goa pre plastic and it breaks my heart to see the way things are now. Yes, we are all responsible, and yes we could vote with our feet, but who wants to leave? How about if we all write to Dr Wilfred D'Souza (tourism minister) asking what they are planning on doing with the garbage or shall we just wait until Goa disappears under a sea of plastic?

I agree with fredthedog, it is mostly locals and domestic tourists who litter the streets and highways of Goa.
I was out and about only last week and watched as a couple in a car (with Goa plates), stopped at the side of the road and dumped two carrier bags full of rubbish in the bushes. Today I bought a co-conut on the beach, after chopping it up into pieces and putting it into a plastic bag the seller left the shell lying on the sand. I didn't notice until she had gone so naturally I picked it up and put it in the bin next to Big Banana Shack.
I collect all my used plastic and glass bottles in an empty box and either wait for the rag pickers to turn up or I drop them off at the recycling place in Arpora.....if everybody did the same the place wouldn't be half as bad!!!
GFF xxx

Who drops the rubbish is not the issue, we are all responsible. The question is ..... how much rubbish does there have to be on the streets, in the fields, in the gullies, in the bushes, before we all wake up and do something?

I agree that the Indians are as bad as anyone when it comes to dropping litter. There is some effort made with beach cleaning with small gangs of people collecting some of the recyclable waste. But as in the UK what do you do with the rubbish. The Goan government wants to build one or more recycling plants (The Verna plateau was one site) but the locals to the sites objected, and after a long debate in the parliment the relevant panchayats and press nothing has been done. So because of this nimbyism and therefor no proper facillities being built it is still going to be hard to educate the local population.

Hapi - I don't think you'll get too many tourists volunteering to pick up litter whilst on holiday.....not most peoples idea of a "holiday" i'm sure.
I disagree with what you say about us waking up and doing something, that's for the Indian government to sort out...not the two week tourists. As a long stayer I do my bit but theres no way I'm prepared, after having paid a visa fee to enter the country in the first place, to go about the land picking up other peoples rubbish. Call me selfish if you like but theres nothing that you can say to make me change my mind.
In saying that I still don't agree with littering, there are plenty of rubbish collection points dotted about the place so dumping in bushes/fields/streets is no excuse, people just need educating.
GFF xxx

i had a thought on the rubbish situation while there at xmas
if i bought an apartment on a road that had a bad litter problem ? i could have paid some locals to get rid of it and tidy the place up ,it would be giving something back to the community but then a negative thought entered my head ! i thought the way some locals would think and they do !
this is ok we get paid of that foreigner to move rubbish so lets move it then a few days later lets put it back ! and get paid again and again etc etc
its the goan way

The 'Goan way' you said. I don't think so. Then again, maybe, us here from the UK are perfect, aren't we? I think not.

Look, this is a developing country. That is why everything is so cheap and we love it that way. Now we want everything to comply with our needs and standards.

OK, litter is a problem and some are condemning the local population for it. I wonder if the 'locals' condemn us when we patronise them or treat them rudely. No of course not, they just smile and carry on. A lesson there for all of us.

I wasnt for one minute suggesting that tourists should start picking up litter. However, if every tourist commented to their holiday rep and the reps told the companies they worked for then it would certainly get back to someone in the goa tourist department. But if no one complains......
What do all the long termers do with their rubbish? I sort mine, glass, plastic bottles, anything that can be recycled is collected every couple of months by a Lamani lady who comes from Mapusa, paper is burnt and veg peelings go over the wall for the cows. Giving rubbish to the cleaning lady to take away is a no no. It will be dumped anywhere within a minute of her leaving the house.