The magnitude and dimensions of the threat posed by the waste generated in the city has been growing by the day, and the inability of the City Corporation to tackle the issue and come out with a permanent solution has grabbed wider attention.
With the attempts of the civic body to address the issue failing miserably and the efforts to dump the waste on rural communities not taking off, waste piling up along the roads is not only turning an eye-sore but also posing a threat to public health.
Waste is the visible form of inefficiency and considered the shadow of an economy. Every discarded material has some amount of energy, labour, and capital in it. Waste disposal is a costly affair and is eating away a good amount of money.
In addition to the growth in the quantum of waste, the concept of waste has changed over the years as the materials being used have changed. The city followed the general trend of waste management by transferring the problems from one person to another or converting the problem from one form to another.
The general waste management practices of dumping, burning, burying in deep pits or sanitary landfills and composting are being resorted to in the city. These processes are not scientific and sustainable and cause irreversible impact on public health and environment. Then, what is the solution to tackle the garbage crisis?
“It is not the lack of technology that has led to the crisis. Segregation of waste into organic and non-organic at the household-level and a behavioural change of citizens are what is needed,” says Shibu K. Nair and C. Jayakumar of Thanal, a city-based NGO.
Simple solutions at the local level such as Thumboormozhi composting, pot composting, portable biogas, and the one followed at cluster level on roadsides in Alappuzha are what can be replicated in the city.
The much-publicised pipe-composting, introduced following the closure of the Vilappilsala plant, failed to take off as PVC pipes were used by the civic body instead of cement pipes. “Technology was given to people without imparting training. People did not know how to proceed and it resulted in the failure of pipe composting,” Mr. Shibu says.
Experts say instead of collecting all kinds of waste on seven days a week, it should become selective. As much as 60 per cent of the waste is organic and 20 per cent needs to go to a common facility when it is difficult to manage locally.
Resource recovery park
The Corporation should set up a resource recovery park for managing waste from the household from where discards like tube lights, CFL bulbs, and glass can be sold. “Segregation of waste is needed and government offices should become role models for citizens in waste management,” adds Mr. Jayakumar.
