Huge events cause huge amounts of waste, be it conventions, festivals or weddings. But most event managers tend to neglect the fact that waste management is as important as proper event management.
“Waste is merely misplaced resource,” believes Jabir Karat, an enterprising young man from Kozhikode, who has been on a mission for the past few years to minimise waste production through multiple interventions.
‘Green Worms,’ an organisation formed by Jabir, has been taking up waste management at events having huge participation and has been able to prove that a little bit of thinking and effort could make our surroundings cleaner.
“Minimise waste generation; maximise recycling; dignify people working with waste” has been the motto of the organisation.
Jabir has two years of experience working for Unicef in Mumbai.
He decided to come back to Kerala with a desire to eliminate at least a few of the social problems in his native land. But the attitude of Malayalis towards waste management has been a huge disappointment, he says.
Not ready to spend
“People are not ready to spend on waste management. We lack waste literacy. Most of us do not know the basic use of a dustbin,” Jabir says.
He has been undertaking training and consultancy work in the area among schoolchildren, people’s representatives and other organisations for more than a year.
“Waste management is really simple. Just think of the flex boards. Cloth printing in the latest technology is much cheaper than flex. But most people do not know about it. At weddings, we use disposable plates and glasses. Why not go for ceramic or steel?” he asks.
“Banana leaves and areca nut plates are also good alternatives as they are biodegradable,” he says.
Green Worms had taken up waste management for the State School Art Festival 2015 held in Kozhikode and was very effective in keeping the premises of the canteen clean. The proposal to convert food waste to compost was however rejected by the Kozhikode Corporation that took it to the dumping ground in Njeliyanparamba. Waste management at Markaz convention in Karanthur where around three lakh people took part, was another milestone for Green Worms.
Green Worms has been taking up waste management at events with huge participation.
