While solid waste management has become a headache for municipal councils and corporations in bigger cities, suburban Badlapur, just 65 km away from Mumbai is showing the way in managing waste, with the support of public participation.
Local councillor Shridhar Patil, vice-president of Kulgaon-Badlapur Municipal Council, has taken the initiative to distribute waste management baskets to 250 individuals to produce organic fertiliser at home by segregating solid waste.
Mr Patil said he is inspired by Sharad Kale, a scientist from Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) who works in segregation of waste management.
“I met him and learnt from him how to manage wet and solid waste,” he said. “Dumping of waste became a headache for municipal council and corporation. Nobody is ready to accept the dumping ground in vicinity of his village or city,” he added.
He further said, “Waste management is not only the responsibility of the corporation but also citizens should take care of segregation of wet and solid waste at home.”
Mr Patil has distributed 250 baskets within the last two months in his ward and has set a target to cover 1,000 individual households. “People have to put wet kitchen wastage including vegetables and fruits peels and pieces, tea leaves, coffee grounds, eggshells, bones and entrails, fish scales, as well as cooked food — both veg and non-veg,” he said.
The dump composts and transforms into organic fertiliser which can be used in terrace gardens.
“Municipal council has provision to give rebate of Rs 300 from house tax. People and even politicians are not aware about it. Hence, our team from Samveg Foundation will visit such homes which are using our ‘Nisarg Doot’ (Nature’s Messenger) basket and will recommend municipal council to allow rebate,” he said.
Mr Patil said people across the city are approaching him for the basket. He expressed faith that the response from citizen shows that one day, the city will become waste free.
