Our Dry Waste Management System

In early 2011, we decided to put in a place a dry waste management system in Goodwill Apartments. Our approach has been one of cautious optimism, taking one step at a time to ensure that we build a sound waste collection system.

Waste segregation is of utmost importance in rapidly growing cities like Bangalore. To briefly state why it was so vital, we printed an awareness pamphlet that we handed out to all residents of our apartment. I'm quoting a paragraph from that pamphlet here.

"Waste management is one of the major problems every city across the world faces today, and our own Bangalore is no exception. The waste that is generated at homes is taken away by the BBMP and dumped or burnt in landfills beyond the city limits. This waste turns toxic and causes irreparable damage to the environment by polluting the soil, the groundwater and the surrounding air. Mavallipura, a village which is a few kilometres away from the Bangalore International Airport, is one such landfill, and the people of this village suffer from a variety of diseases on account of the unlivable conditions caused by these pollutants. Intelligent waste management is the need of the hour in all big cities in India to safeguard our health and safety as well as our environment’s sustainability.

With a rapidly increasing population in the Bangalore metropolitan area, this is a mounting problem. The government, which hitherto has been responsible for waste management, is at its wits’ end, and needs the help of citizens to solve this problem. Hence, it is our duty to reduce the waste we generate by adopting eco-friendly practices." 

Here is how we went about putting the waste segregation system in place. (Please try this at home!)

Initiation


To start with, we decided that all Samruddhi volunteers would start segregating dry waste in their own houses to know first hand how easy or difficult it was to do this.  We were to keep our eyes open for the little problems that may arise along the way. We would keep dry waste separately from the waste we generate daily and assemble weekly during Shramdaan (our weekly community service initiative) to pack it up in big sacks. We found that it was very easy to manage dry waste in our houses provided we had a little discipline and a little space around the apartment for its storage. We tied up with an NGO, Samarthanam Trust, for collection of this dry waste periodically. Samarthanam has tie ups with various waste recyclers in the city. At this juncture, we decided that it was best not to bother about secondary segregation of dry waste. We decided to manage mixed dry waste to start with.

We then implemented the system in one of our buildings, Yamuna. We went door to door and educated and convinced every resident of Yamuna to keep their dry waste apart. We told them how easy it was and picked it up from their households on Sundays. We allayed all their doubts and distributed posters stating what dry waste was. We even printed an elaborate pamphlet as to why we've initiated the process and what comprised dry waste. A month and a half into this process, almost all residents of Yamuna were segregating their dry waste. We then roped in the building helper, Doddiah, to help us with the collection.

Dispersion


We then went to the other buildings in Goodwill Apartments viz. Krishna, Pampa, Godavari and Kaveri. We repeated the whole process again, asking residents to segregate waste and collecting it ourselves for a month and a half. By and by, the amount of dry waste each household was giving us slowly increased to what we consider is an acceptable quantity for an urban middle class dwelling of four - 1 kg per week. Once every household was initiated into the process, we got Doddiah to go to the other apartments as well for collection on a weekly basis. One of our buildings, Yamuna, has spared a small part of its basement for storing the sackfuls of dry waste that we now generate.

Accountabilty


We monitor this collection process once in every two months to ensure that the machinery is running and is well oiled. We address any problems/ doubts that the residents may have during these visits. We also make sure that new residents are made aware of the process. We've a simple collection monitoring chart that is used to collect data on these visits.

Results


We've achieved a success rate of about 70%, which is considerable considering we are changing the lifestyles that people have adopted for decades. We consistently collect about 150 Kg of dry waste every month. We have now collaborated with Green Tech. for the dry waste pick up.

USP


We believe that our dry waste segregation model is successful and stable because Goodwill Apartments is a well knit community that is very cooperative. The cooperation that we've seen from the residents has been our strength for the most part. Also, Samruddhi is an organisation that is driven by youth power. We've found that we have a greater degree of acceptance when children tell their parents how important it is to be conscious of Bangalore's rapidly growing waste management problem.

In a nutshell

1. Volunteers start segregating in their households
2. We initiate the segregation process in one building
3. We educate residents on the process and ensure that the system is established (Posters, Pamphlets, Presentations)
4. We employ a helper to carry out the collection
5. We monitor the collection process periodically to ensure that everything is ship shape

We've found that dry waste segregation and management is something that can be done very easily provided there is some mental will to execute it. It involves doing some very simple things but makes an impact that is very large on a city like Bangalore, whose civic infrastructure is fast collapsing due to the mismanagement of solid waste.

Independence Day and Green Ganesha Chaturthi, 2011

In addition to the customary flag hoisting and rendition of patriotic songs on Independence day, we decided to something different this year. We decided to give the celebrations an environmental touch.

Patriotic Song Rendition

Two weekends prior to the Independence day, we organised a poster design competition for children of all ages. The theme of the competition, for those old enough to grasp it, was "Freedom From Plastics." Children of all ages were assembled in a hall, given chart paper and around 2 hours of time to design their posters. The result was a potpourri of creative display that children often surprise us with.

Ganesha Chaturthi happened to fall on the 1st of September in 2011. To prevent people from purchasing the harmful painted Ganesha idols, we had a collaboration with "The Living" for sourcing eco-friendly Parisara Ganapati idols. These idols were delivered to the houses of people who had placed orders for them.

A Parisara Ganapati idol

The traditional Independence Day celebration at Goodwill Apartments is carried out with the rendition of patriotic songs and performance of Indian dances. We also have one of our elderly residents come up and speak to us about their memories of the day of Indian independence. This year, along with these events, we decided to have a "Freedom from plastic" awareness march. Along with the posters of the poster design competition, we made a few more consisting of simple slogans that encourage people to cut down the use of plastic and recycle their dry waste. We then used these posters as banners for a small march around Chandra Layout.

Glimpes of the Freedom from Plastic march

These posters now adorn the walls of the various buildings in Goodwill Apartments.

Picture Credits: Harish Venkatesh.

Environment Day, 2011

Samruddhi commemorated the Environment Day of 2011 with a few enriching activities spread over the weekend on which it fell. Saturday saw the conduct of an Environment quiz conducted by Ravishankar and Ramapriya. This was then followed by presentations made by various children in the apartment on Environmental awareness. On the morning of Sunday, which happened to be World Environment Day,  vegetable gardening was scheduled, which took place with much enthusiasm in a mulch pit that is adjacent to the apartment. That evening saw the culmination of the celebrations with the screening of the splendidly shot documentary on the ecological balance of earth, Home.

Poster Credits: Nikki Ashok.

Daily Dump Demo

The 27th of February, 2011 saw Samruddhi conduct a presentation on wet waste management by ground breaking pioneer in the field, Daily Dump. Wet waste, for the uninitiated, comprises of biodegradable waste that we generate on a daily basis (mainly kitchen waste). Rather than let wet waste rot away and decompose anaerobically in various parts of the city or its landfills, the most efficient way to handle it is to compost it aerobically. Daily Dump products enable you to do that in your household. A member of Daily Dump had come over to Goodwill Apartments to make the presentation, which was made on a television set shifted to the basement. The presentation outlined the composting process and explained how the decomposition happened in various stages. Anaerobic decomposition ensures that the wet waste doesn't turn malodorous. The presentation wound up with daily dump showcasing a few of their products. Here is the poster we had made for the event.

Poster design credits: Nikki Ashok

Republic Day

On the Republic Day of 2011, we had planned the customary flag hoisting in the morning and 2 audio visual presentations in the evening. A lot of little children came up to us the evening before and told us that they were ready for an impromptu cultural programme the next day. Hence, we rigged up the ancient microphone set that Goodwill Apts happens to possess.

We assembled the next morning only half an hour before the event commenced. This was clearly not enough for all the preparation that lay ahead. The faulty mic system had our hands full at one end, and at the other was a group of people wrestling with the national flag, attempting to hoist it up in a presentable fashion.

The half an hour delay that ensued was a bitter lesson. Also, the unplanned nature of the event had us ruing on its account. Nevertheless, the programme was liked well enough and kindly received.

Dusk saw us hold the 2 audio visual presentations, summarised best by this poster.  

Dr Ramakanth's speech was delightfully planned, with many colourful photographs and facts to hold our attention rapt. He also spliced it with many anecdotes constructed in ways to appeal to people of all generations. He stressed on the importance of preserving our ecological balance.

Muthusubramanian presented the second part, which was intended to raise awareness regarding the need for waste management. It included insightful videos highlighting this need and an official letter drafted by the BBMP which made it mandatory for all apartments to initiate waste segregation, as long back as 2008. He had also brought his Daily Dump Kambha downstairs. The end of this programme saw many interested people huddling around him to see what the Kambha was all about.

The evening's show fittingly concluded our revival. We should probably have shortened the presentations a little more, as it stretched a little too late for all the people who attended to sit thorough.


Poster design credits: Nikki Ashok.

Food Court and Shramdaan

The Idea

The food court was held to draw attention to the fact that Samruddhi was active again. A great affinity do we Indians have for good food. Hence, it was decided that holding a food court would be a very good idea.

And a good idea it was. The turnout happened to be amazing and there were a lot of enthusiastic hands present for Shramdaan the next day.

The Conduct

The food court was publicised by putting up posters and by making announcements at other events that were held in Goodwill.

The conduct of the food court was managed by volunteers who were sorted into 3 teams, whose responsibilities are listed.

1. Artistic team

• Preparing the menu card
• Preparing item cards for individual stalls
• Coupon making (5, 10, 15 x100)
• Putting up posters
• Clean up, recycling of their stuff

2. Counter and Water team

• 3 people to man the cash counter
• 2 people at the water counter
• 1 person to manage the washing counter
• Sweeping the floor before the event

3. Disposal Team

• Man the disposal counter at all times and instruct people on how to dispose
• Take used plates to the washing counter
• Wash used plates
• Replace washed plates

Our Eco-Friendly measures

• Usage of disposable plates
• Usage of reusable steel glasses
• Minimising paper waste generation
• Recycling of unsolied paper waste generated

The food court was, as mentioned earlier,  a grand success. The only shortfall was that of insufficient food. Most of the stalls were sold out well before the designated time. We should consider increasing the quantity to 200 plates per stall. Shramdaan was revived the next day and has been going strong ever since.

Revival

On the 25th of December, 2010, a few old timers of the four-year old Samruddhi met with a bunch of fresh faces in order fly its once high flag once again.

The organisation had its roots in Goodwill Apartments, Chandra Layout, Bangalore. The youth of this apartment complex along with their friends from the surrounding areas formed Samruddhi on the Republic Day of 2006. A special mention of Shobha Sunderasan, a resident of Yamuna apartment is deserved for inspiring this movement and encouraging its foundation.

Samruddhi was originally conceived to empower the youth of Goodwill Apartments and the surrounding areas by means of giving them a stage to express their talents. It did so by commemorating Independence Day, Republic Day and by the organisation of an annual fest, Umang. In addition to this, the members of Samruddhi met up on a weekly basis to carry out community service. This was termed Shramdaan. It aimed at character building and personality development through team work, in addition to enhancing its participants' civic awareness.

Four years into its inception, Samruddhi was all but gone, thanks to the exodus of many key members who were instrumental in keeping it alive. The meeting on the 25th of December was aimed at reviving this organisation.

This revival was planned to be carried out with the resumption of Shramdaan along with the conduct of a food court on the 9th of January, 2011 followed by a few presentations on Republic Day.