Waste segregation is the process of separating the waste into various categories. This makes the process of recycling and disposal easier for the authorities. Home waste can be bifurcated into dry waste, wet waste, sanitary waste & electronic waste. Composting is the natural process wherein organic materials such as leaves, food scraps and other waste can be converted into an organic fertilizer.
“Be Loyal to your Soil: Compost”
VONG (Voice of the new generation) movement is about motivating our youth and create a attitudinal shift. VONG initiative can help us solve this problem quickly and effectively. What we do is collectively inspire our new generation to raise questions about global issues and understand how they can make a sustainable world.
In a way the new generation would inspire the society to do the same. VONG SDG Café conducted the live event on ZOOM platform with Isha Gupta as our guest speaker. Isha Gupta, founder of Happy living Nature club and environment lover. A few questions were asked to the guest speaker related to the topic by our host. Here’s the summary of the discussion on “Waste Segregation and Composting”.
What happens to waste after segregation?
Up to 95 % of our daily household waste is recyclable and 50% is the wet waste which is mainly produced from the kitchen which can be easily composted. There are a lot of MNCs that buy the segregated waste like plastics, papers, unused stationary, cardboard and other dry waste to recycle it or use it. Some MNCs in the fashion industry try and reuse carboard by having buy back offers. Whereas the wet waste is used in making of fuels like biogas.
Out of community-based composting and home composting which is a better way of composting?
If the project collects wet waste from multiple residential and commercial areas and MNCS are also involved for using the wet waste to produce fuel then community-based composting is the way to go. But at a personal level home composting is better.
For a community-based composting compassionate and motivated individuals are needed that are able to compost on behalf of the entire community as composting in itself is an entire process which has its own logistical needs. Home composting is also a fun activity for students as they also learn something out of it by a hands-on approach.
What mistakes are to be avoided while segregating waste and composting?
Segregating waste is an easy task that only requires three bins, one for dry waste another for diapers, razors and hazardous material like broken glass and the last one for wet waste. Wet waste can also be directly put directly into a composting bin.
Waste should be segregated in proper manner keeping the category of material that goes in the bin and disposing it off in a proper manner by giving it to garbage collectors.
How to can control the smell of composting if it’s being done near residential area?
Many options like plastic bins are available which are aerobic but are also airtight which are designed for nuclear families as these plastic bins occupy very less space. But if space and sunlight is available then terracotta bins are also available, but these bins do attract flies. You can also add microbes that are commonly available in liquid form which helps in composting.
How can compost be prevented from freezing during the winter months?
There are a number of factors to be in winters one of them being the scarcity of sunlight and another being the increase in the quantity of wet waste especially from the usage of vegetables. Cocopeat can be added which will suck in the moisture and the compost bin can be left in such a manner such that it gets maximum sunlight and covering it with a newspaper layer with attracts less mosquitos and other insects to the bin.
Is there a advanced waste segregation method we can use particularly for dry waste?
The way for dry waste is to start at home by beginning to influence and motivate your neighbors and to do this at a larger scale you can conduct workshops for your residential area. It is not only important to segregate the dry waste but also to see the way it’s been disposed of.
How do you make a colony more competent regarding waste management and there any laws that enforce waste management?
For colonies or even areas it is essential to form a green team which is comprised of compassionate and like-minded people who believe in this cause and are willing to work for it. It is also important to pitch to the RWAs of your respective colony’s. The green team with the help of the RWA can frame a plan of action.
RWA can also help in spreading the message and have the residents segregate the waste for their own households which will make things easier to some extent. It is also important to educate the garbage collectors and make sure that they understand that segregation of waste by residents is a better for them in three ways.
First it saves garbage collectors time which would have been spent in segregating the waste. Second, they can easily sell it since it is already segregated and make money out of it and third being the hygiene factor meaning the garbage collectors are getting segregated waste hence, they themselves don’t have to through the unhygienic process of segregating waste in huge quantity.
It is also important to reward the garbage collectors for their efforts in appropriate time intervals this will keep them motivated towards the cause of proper waste management.
How can students change people’s attitudes regarding waste management?
Students being the future stakeholders in today’s world can change people’s attitudes by spreading the message among adults as well their friends and classmates. In order to encourage student’s poster making competitions can be held these posters can be later hanged in different parts of the colony and markets as well.
You can also motivate students to organize happiness sale in a community area where all the items that don’t get used in their household like old clothes, bedsheets, pots, pans, toys, CDs and etc can be sold at a low cost or given away to the local sanitation helpers.
Conclusion
For effective waste management it is necessary to segregate the waste. Its is also essential to ensure that all the stakeholders including, garbage collectors and etc. are motivated to play their part to resolve this issue. Live events, webinars and discussions with experts on this pressing societal and environmental problem is the very first step taken by ‘VONG’.
To make the youth conscious about these environmental issues and further encourage them to self-learn , reflect their opinions in the society through our platform. We are just one part of making change happen, but we want that part to be significant, open to learning and ready to challenge the issue.
“Waste is waste till it is segregated”
Article by : Akshat Singh -VONGle,Orion Square
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