The residents of an apartment complex, Sobha Althea-Azalea located on Doddaballapur Road near Yelahanka, is one of those few condos in Bangalore which has zero garbage problem. The residents segregate all their waste, and even make money out of it, for their domestic help.
The apartment complex with over 200 flats sends no dry waste whatsoever to the any of the landfills where BBMP dumps the city’s garbage.
The USP of the waste segregation programme at Sobha Althea-Azalea is that the residents began effectively implementing waste segregation at source before the BBMP made it compulsory.When asked what made the residents to implement waste segregation, Krishnan Kannan, member, Green Committee of Sobha Althea-Azalea complex, said that the residents of the complex realised that with so much of concern around them about a pollution free environment, each one of them, as generators of waste, was also responsible for disposing waste properly.
“This was the feeling those residents who initially had moved into the Sobha Althea-Azalea complex, had. Most of us came from backgrounds where some sort of waste management was being carried out. The builder had provided us with some basic composting facility and that prompted the residents to carry out the basic segregation—the wet and dry waste. This was easily managed as the residents were few and the segregation did not involve too much of an effort,’’ said Kannan.
The residents used to do two types of segregation - wet and dry - till last August and September. It was the time when Bangalore’s garbage crisis hit headlines.
‘’The BBMP legislation came in force from October 1, 2012. And we kicked off our campaign on October 2 involving children and parents in a poster competition, held residents’ interactive sessions, housekeepers’ training and took them into confidence. A major obstacle was the language barrier between the domestic help and cooks who enter our complex for work and a huge chunk of non-Kannadiga residents.
So we had to train all the maids and cooks. This, I feel, made everyone think seriously about waste management. All this took at least 3 months of consistent planning and tweaking. Thanks to all these efforts, we are clocking 90-95 per cent compliance on any given day,’’ said Savita Hiremath, member, Waste Management Committee.
The revenue varies each month depending on the types of waste generated. Plastic bottles fetch them Rs 13 per kg, whereas metal and paper waste is sold at Rs 5 to Rs 6 per kg.
“On an average, we make Rs 4,000 a month which is used to incentivise the housekeepers.
We cannot survive without their selfless service,’’ said Savita.
She said that usually socially relevant causes die their own death after initial fervour. She said that they tried to keep the tempo high and sustained it through various methods like door-to-door campaigning, frequent mailers, posters, interactive sessions, etc. The residents involvement did not end with attending these sessions alone. They blogged about it and we got active through social media.
‘’Currently, our Facebook posts are generating a lot of public interest from all over Bangalore,” says Savita, who was also invited to speak on best practices at some events.
“Residents from nearby apartments visited us to check out our methodology and were looking to replicate sustainability at their complexes too. We intend to not only make and keep our complex beautiful, but also intend to spread the word. We are just a shout away from anyone who may need our help and views,’’ said Manu, member, housekeeping committee.
@ymrconnect
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}