Visitors engaged with AI-powered smart collection machines, getting a first-hand experience of how Goa’s Deposit Refund Scheme (DRS) will function on the ground.
Panaji, April 2026 — Visitors at the popular Cashew Fest Season 4, held from April 10 to April 12, got a hands-on demonstration of smart waste collection technologies, as the Goa Deposit Refund Scheme (DRS) hosted its public experience zone, offering an interactive, real-world preview of the state’s upcoming technology-driven waste recovery network.
The Goa Cashew Fest, a vibrant showcase of local produce, culture and cuisine, brought together residents and tourists in a shared celebration of Goa’s seasonal and popular agro-bounty. Aligned with the festival’s focus on innovation and responsible practices, the Department of Environment & Climate Change, Government of Goa, is introducing DRS as a behavioural change initiative aimed at reducing litter, improving recycling outcomes and strengthening waste recovery systems across the state. Demonstrations at the DRS experience zone were held across all days of the festival.
Set up as a dedicated live demonstration zone, the DRS space offered visitors a first-hand experience of how these technologies function in real-world settings. Building on its growing public outreach through demonstrations across Goa, the experience zone invited citizens, stakeholders and tourists to engage directly with the collection machines and understand how it can seamlessly integrate into everyday consumption habits.
The DRS experience zone was visited by dignitaries, namely, Honourable Chief Minister, Dr Pramod Sawant, Union Minister of State for Power and New and Renewable Energy Shripad Naik, Goa Forest Development Corporation Chairperson Deviya Rane, Public Works Department Minister and Margao MLA Digambar Kamat, Curchorem MLA Nilesh Cabral, Saligao MLA Kedar Naik, allowing them and festival-goers to understand how everyday packaging, including PET bottles, glass containers and cans, can be returned quickly and efficiently through AI-enabled, QR-code-based systems.
At the centre of this showcase were advanced smart collection machines, including the Reklaim Ace Reverse Vending Machines (RVMs), engineered for efficient, scalable recovery in public environments and designed to suit local consumption patterns.
The Reklaim Ace is a high-speed unit engineered for rapid throughput and enhanced user interaction. It can identify items in under 20 milliseconds, supports containers up to two litres, and features a 16-inch multilingual display along with a QR scanner capable of processing up to 70 scans per minute. Its 900-litre capacity makes it ideal for high-footfall public locations.
Supporting these high-volume machines is the Reklaim Fastscan, which focuses on speed and convenience. Equipped with an interactive LED interface, a 7.9-inch display and integrated UPI-based payment systems, it can process up to 45 QR codes per minute, enabling quick and seamless transactions.
For flexible deployment, the Reklaim Mini offers a compact solution for smaller or temporary locations. It includes multilingual prompts, a fast QR scanner and up to 48 hours of battery backup, ensuring uninterrupted performance across varied environments. Equipped to support last mile doorstep collections, Reklaim Go is a lightweight, portable handheld device with in-built scanner, speaker and display for audio and visual information communication. All machines showcased are made in India and designed to suit local consumption patterns, leveraging the country’s growing AI capabilities.
