If you’ve been to Goa’s beaches, especially the more popular ones like Baga, Calangute, and Candolim, you must’ve seen at least a few glass bottles lying around in some corner. These glass bottles aren’t just pieces of trash, they become hazardous pieces of injury to others as they break into pieces and shards. Responding to this concern raised by MLA Michael Lobo in the State Parliament, Chief Minister of Goa (CM), Mr. Pramod Sawant said that the state is considering a ban on glass bottles on beaches. Here’s the entire scoop!
On Thursday, 31 July, 2025, Goa CM Pramod Sawant confirmed in the legislative assembly that the Government of Goa is considering banning the sale of glass liquor bottles near beaches. CM Sawant further said that these glass bottles will be replaced with their can counterparts.
This consideration stands in the light of public safety concerns on Goa’s beaches where it is becoming increasingly common to stumble upon broken glass bottles. The sharp shards of broken glass bottles can easily injure the public and cause a public safety issue.
CM Sawant responded to a question raised by MLA Michael Lobo who complained that tourists have been getting injured due to the broken glass shards on Goa’s beaches.
Furthermore, CM Sawant elaborated that wine stores located barely 15 meters away from the beach were selling chilled beer in glass bottles to tourists. Not just that, he urged that these shop owners should sell cans instead of glass bottles to prevent any mishap at public places like a beach.
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Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte told the assembly that the existing law has a provision to impose a fine ranging anywhere between INR 5,000 to INR 50,000 on those littering the beaches. Under the current law, littering is classified as a ‘nuisance’, for your information.
Tourism Minister Khaunte also reiterated that public drinking is already a ‘nuisance’ under the amended Goa Registration of Tourist Trade Act, 2001 and the Goa Tourist Places (Protection and Maintenance) Act, 2001.
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Khaunte added that the government is not only focused on penalizing tourists. “It’s not only about fining the tourists and giving the wrong message. We need solutions. Within this Assembly, we will have a meeting with the CM and ensure this implementation is properly timelined,” Khaunte commented.
He further added, “The issue is that people who buy from wine stores are not supposed to drink in public places. They feel that they can do anything and violate the law”.
Working on addressing this concern, the state environment department is developing a scheme that will make it mandatory for wine stores to charge a ‘deposit fee’ from the customer on the purchase of glass bottles. This ‘deposit fee’ shall be refunded to the customer once they return the bottle to the shop.
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With the policy taking shape, it is highly possible that glass bottles might soon be banned and replaced with cans, at least if you purchase alcoholic drinks near a beach in Goa. This step will significantly improve public safety, as instances of people getting hurt with glass bottles will drastically reduce. However, the government must steadily look into the nuisance caused by littering on beaches, regardless of glass bottles or cans, and impose stricter laws to maintain the beauty of Goa’s most stunning natural wonders!
