Rhetoric speeches can move people to action. Roadside rants can do just as well. No kidding here. Nearly four years ago, a humdinger of an initiative from Nawab Gardens Residents Welfare Association (NGRWA) was actually inspired by a conservancy worker’s grouch that gathering leaf waste from the neighbourhood was killingly tiresome.
Stretching from Ranjit Road to Vellaiyan Road, this neighbourhood in Kotturpuram is doused in green.
“Dominated by independent houses, most of them set on huge parcels of land, it is a leafy neighbourhood. The flats are also small development — usually 4 or 8 units. There is only one big-sized luxury development, and we have co-opted them too. The neighbourhood is characterised by immense greenery,” explains Meenakshi Ramesh, secretary, NGRWA.
Fortunately, the Association members did not laugh the rant off, and instead gave it the dignity of a discussion. The account goes that an Association member suggested the idea of having leaf composters. The group trawled for designs on the Internet. A name of a local fabricator popped up. Reportedly, the fabricator was at that time operating from a facility not too distant from this locality, which probably helped speed up matters.
As the residents are tree-loving, the initiative was met with generosity.
“Fifty per cent of the leaf composters were sponsored by individual residents. Someone would volunteer to pay for the cost of a leaf composter that was planned near their house. The rest of the composters were purchased from the Association’s funds,” says Meenakshi.
That is the story of how the locality came to be dotted with leaf composters.
“The exercise began three-and-a-half years ago, and today, there are 24 leaf composters in the neighbourhood,” says Meenakshi.
The composters are spaced apart, keeping in mind the fact that every household should have quick access to one.
The composters come in two types — one with plastic mesh, and another with the hardier steel mesh. The plastic-mesh composter gets its shape from a cladding of steel.
Two leaf composters in Arunachalam Road in Kotturpuram that have been secured with a chain and a lock, Photo: Prince Frederick
“The leaf composters made of plastic mesh are cost-effective, but only half as sturdy as the steel composters. While a steel composter can cost anywhere between ₹5,000 and ₹6,000 depending on whether it is equipped with a steel lid or not, a plastic-mesh composter costs ₹3,000,” explains Meenakshi.
Every leaf composter has a door, and through this opening the compost that has settled at the bottom can be scooped out. A lid atop the composter is an optional feature.
“As having a lid adds to the fabricating cost, the leaf composters on interior streets are usually without lids, as the odds are low that someone would deposit anything other than leaves in a composter there. In contrast, on the main roads where movement of outsiders is likely to be higher, this problem has to be considered, and so most of the composters there have lids,” explains Meenakshi, adding that it is a matter of compromise that we settled on a flex signage. “Earlier, we placed handwritten signages, but they would not last.”
There is also the problem of vandalism to be tackled.
On Arunachalam Road, two leaf composters are secured by having them tied to a railing, with a chain and a lock.
“The lids are missing; they have been stolen,” says Meenakshi.
The Association employs a gardener who makes a weekly visit to attend to work relating to the contents of the leaf composters.
The best part of this initiative, Meenakshi says, is the effect it has on visitors, with some of them replicating it in their backyard.
GCC takes a leaf out of their green book
A few months ago, when he learnt about the leaf-composter initiative at Kotturpuram, Alby John, Regional Deputy Commissioner — South, Greater Chennai Corporation, made a visit to the locality to study it.
Alby says he has seen leaf composters elsewhere in Chennai, but was impressed by the elaborate system of leaf-composting in this neighbourhood in Kotturpuram.
Alby even admits he was inspired by it and ordered leaf composters to be fabricated. “Following this, we had them installed at a few localities in the south region, including Besant Nagar, Thiruvanmiyur and Valmiki Nagar,” says Alby, and hints at a plan to “scale it up”.
“There are certain obvious advantages that go with leaf composters; they can be installed anywhere, including pavements. They can come in handy in places that don’t have parks nearby, and the advantage of a mulch pit,” says Alby.
“On the downside,” he continues, “A leaf composter can’t take huge amounts of leaf waste, a handicap that will be acutely felt during the leaf-shedding season.”
