Bengaluru: Why should dried leaves be transported miles away when they can easily be dealt with in your background? This was the question a group of green activists asked before coming up with a possible solution — collecting dried leaves in a street and composting them.
"The idea is that street litter should not have to go far for composting. Whenever people see a pile of leaves, they discard juice boxes and chips packets, turning the spot into a dumping ground. A composter is a simple and effective way to manage leaf waste in the neighbourhood," said Padmashree, a member of Bangalore Eco Team and president of Koramangala 1st Block Residents Welfare Association (RWA).
As a pilot project, two composters were installed outside her home a month ago, which according to her did not generate smell or attract flies. On Saturday, the RWA launched a campaign to manage leaf waste by installing 22 composters, donated by a resident, in the block.
"We have a Swacch Graha programme under which residents compost in their own homes. They are welcome to add semi composted waste and fruit peels in the composter," says Ms. Padmashree.
Ramalinga Reddy, MLA, who inaugurated the campaign, called it a ‘simple and effective solution’. He promised to arrange another 100 composters to be put up in streets in the remaining seven blocks of Koramangala.
Pourakarmikas have been asked to rake the dry leaves and drop them in the composter, said Malini Parmar, an activist. "It needs water daily. A resident living nearby is given the responsibility of doing the needful. One person takes the responsibility of putting cow dung in the composter once a month," said Ms. Parmar.
A similar programme was launched in HSR Layout last week. Composters were installed in temples to handle leftover flowers and leaves. Similar plans are in the pipeline in three other wards. The Bangalore Eco Team is considering approaching local leaders on their birthdays with a request to donate composters in their localities, said Ms. Parmar.
Using a leaf composter
Dried leaves and fruit peels are dropped inside; shredded leaves compost faster
The pile needs to be moistened with a litre of water every day
Once a month, cow dung is added to the composter to speed up the process
Correction
This story has been corrected for a factual error
