Shanthi Ulhas sees waste as an enemy to be vanquished. She believes even ‘garbage bins’ can prove to be an ally of this formidable enemy. Therefore, when the Corporation installed a garbage bin and residents began to litter the space around the bin, she got it removed.
“Already, certain parts of the stretch had been turned into ‘littering points’. When the bin was placed on the street, there was the additional problem of garbage piling up around the bin. Many were complaining, but no one was doing anything about it,” says Shanthi, who along with her neighbour Usha Venugopal approached the civic body and got the bin removed from the street within months.
Following this, residents in the neighbourhood accepted her as a champion of civic issues. Since then, Shanthi has been working tirelessly to make Madhavan Colony in Mahalingapuram a zero-waste zone. Her campaign began with a doo-to-door visit to sensitise residents on the need to reduce waste going out of their homes. “I and my friend would start at 10.30 a.m. and knock on each door and talk about segregation and composting till 1 p.m. Then again, we would start at 5 p.m. and end at 7 p.m,” she says. They have been able to cover 21 out of the 24 streets in the neighbourhood.
Shanthi is happy to see a change in the attitude of people. “Some of the residents have already started segregating waste, but it is not enough. Till all the 550-odd households practice this, our efforts won’t be successful,” she says.
For those who think composting is cumbersome or would create a stench, she invites them to her house to see for themselves how it is. Shanthi first tried her hand at segregation and composting some twenty years ago. Back then, she didn’t have the know-how. She created a compost pit and put all the kitchen waste there. But it didn’t work.
A foul smell was emanating from the waste and the composting process was incomplete. She had to stop prematurely. Years later, her interest was rekindled when her daughter went on an exchange programme to Japan.
“I was inspired by the way they managed waste. I wanted to take it up again,” she says.
Shanthi started reading up on recycling, composting and related subjects. She also got in touch with people selling composting units to understand the process. After years of research, she again started composting and has continued the practice for over 10 years.
She says, people can at least begin by segregating waste. She next plans to visit schools in the neighbourhood and conduct sessions for children.
“Through them I want to bring about a change,” says Shanthi, who also wants to address vendors near the Kodambakkam flyover on keeping their surroundings clean.
Along with a few other residents, she is trying to revive the defunct Mahalingapuram Residents’ Welfare Association.
“We are planning to register after April. We already have a Facebook and WatsApp groups,” she says.
Shanthi has also been roped in by the Kabadiwalla Connect for their Everyday Recycler’s Discussion Series.
