It was a typical, sultry Sunday afternoon in the city, but the usual trickle of weekenders at Perambur’s Murasoli Maran Park had something more to look forward to. Scattered across a portion of the lawns were tents and stalls manned by enthusiastic waste warriors: young and old, not-for-profit and entrepreneurial.
Organisations from Chennai, Puducherry, Bengaluru and beyond had gathered to raise awareness about zero-waste management practices.
Organised by Kuppai Matters, a branch of the city-based Citizen Consumer and Civic Action Group (they call themselves CAG) Kuppai Thiruvizha — Perambur was the latest in a series of zero waste festivals across the city, with earlier editions having been held in Mylapore and Anna Nagar. In the spotlight were a number of organisations — both hyperlocal ones and those spread across cities — focussing on avenues like e-waste, bio-waste, composting solutions and alternatives to use-and-throw plastics.
“As per the solid waste management rules 2016, bulk waste producers who generate more than 100 kilograms of waste per day, are supposed to manage the waste within their premises,” says Samantha, a member of CAG. As she describes how the organisation helps schools and institutions measure and handle their waste, another volunteer on the far end of the stall explains the working of a two-tier composting device made of clay, to a mother who is clearly invested in the idea. It takes a while to convince her that the smaller unit, despite its somewhat substantial dimensions, isn’t big enough to handle the kitchen waste of a family of four.
A few steps away, a volunteer from the Auroville-based Eco Femme explains the advantages of cloth-made sanitary napkins to a group of women, describing how they can be hygienically washed and re-used for years. Seated right beside her, a member of the Bengaluru-based Boondh describes the technicalities of a silicon menstrual cup.
Each stall focusses on a particular kind of plastic waste, offering alternatives. Pune-based Bamboo India, for instance, was represented by its Puducherry associates, at a stall strewn with bamboo and paper straws, bamboo notebooks and pens, and even bamboo shaving kits and speakers.
“In electronic waste, you have metal coatings and different kinds of components,” says NS Ravichandran of Kalyani Enterprises, a city-based outfit that collects e-waste.
“We segregate all these components, reuse what can be reused, and dispose the rest,” he says, “We pick up waste not only from big offices, but households as well. Everyone can do this, all you have to do is give us a call.”
