If you’re planning a trip to Goa, don’t just go there and enjoy the beaches, go there and do some good by cleaning it. But don’t worry, there’s something in it for you too.

With tourists flooding into the state, seeing garbage thrown on the beach isn’t an uncommon sight. But an organisation has plans of changing that. Drishti Marine, a private beach management agency has been involved in cleaning the beaches and keeping them that way, but now, they’ve been roped in by the state agencies itself to curb the pollution problem and the guys at Drishti Marine came up with a pretty clever way to do that. 

A ‘waste bar’ was set up where people could come and exchange the trash they found on the beach for a free drink. According tho the IANS, the first pop-up waste-bar opened up at the Zanzibar shack, located at the beach end of the popular Tito’s Lane in Baga. 

Noreen Van Holstein, who conceptualized the campaign along with Drishti Marine, told IANS, “The waste-bar is a win-win concept. It is positive for the venue as it is a positive event that attracts a crowd. You get very happy customers as they feel they contribute to society and get a free drink for it. And for brands, it helps in positioning.”

“This ensures that they become conscious of the waste that is there on the beach and that trash actually has value! They will leave Goa with a positive feeling and a clean beach,” she added. 

Cigarette butts and bottle caps are the main form of garbage found on the beaches, but just five plastic straws could earn you a cocktail or a nice chilled beer. Waste bars have been a common concept in the Netherlands but have only been gaining momentum in Goa recently. These waste bars are scheduled to be set up in other beaches as well in the coming months. 

(Header & Picture Credit – Tera Mera Beach Facebook)