Every weekend, three teams of eco-sanitary watchers employed by Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) in the Nilgiris head out from their range offices in Kargudi, Masinagudi and Theppakadu, and walk 3-5 km inside the reserve picking up trash strewn about by tourists.
By the end of their watch, they collect up to 10 kg of garbage, much of it plastic and paper waste. Till over a month ago, the Forest Department would transfer the trash collected to Masinagudi to be disposed of in landfills. But not any more. The paper waste is now recycled and turned into attractive carry bags, envelopes and file holders that find a place in the Forest Department office inside MTR. There are also plans to use it as packaging in the eco-shop in Theppakadu.
All this is thanks to the newly-inaugurated paper recycling unit in Kargudi, run by the Kanchikolli Eco-Development Committee, with support from the Forest Department and a conservation NGO, Shola Trust. This initiative will go a long way in eliminating the refuse that would otherwise find its way into animal intestines, say forest officials. One eco-watcher, part of the team of 12 that handles the clean-up inside the reserve, says he has often seen langur, macaques and other herbivores ingest the waste discarded by tourists. “Despite prominent signage that prohibits littering, tourists pay little attention and throw liquor bottles and baby diapers by the side of the road.”
Garbage that would otherwise end up in the intestines of animals is now picked up by eco-sanitary watchers and sent to the recycling unit.
Jean-Philippe Puyravaud, an ecologist with the Sigur Nature Trust, says that litter inside the reserve has a huge impact on local wildlife. “We have seen plastic in the dung of elephants, and other tell-tale signs that wildlife is feeding on waste,” he says, adding that the ingested garbage can often lead to fatal consequences. Though paper waste is not a huge problem, as goats and cattle consume it without being affected, Puyravaud says the recycling unit will help to keep the reserve clean.
The unit has employed five members, including four women, from the local Betta Kurumba and Irula tribal communities. For K. Bellie, whose husband is an eco-watcher, this the first job with a steady salary. “I enjoy working here and feel empowered by the work I do,” she says. Her income will help educate her two children and better their standard of living, she says. “We have also developed a better relationship with the Forest Department.”
The workers are paid ₹5,000 a month, and officials hope members from other tribal communities will also come forward. “Right now, it takes three people to just gather and process the raw material that is used to make the products, so there is definitely scope to employ more people in the future,” says Bharath Kumar Merugu, project co-ordinator at Shola Trust.
“After seeing us work, more women are approaching us and asking how they can be a part of the unit. So it’s definitely empowering women in the local communities, and the work isn’t too difficult,” says S. Mangli, another worker.
There are plans to train the local communities to produce other hand-made products such as gift-wrapping paper, and to also use elephant dung from the Theppakadu Elephant Camp to fashion lifestyle products.
K. Kannan, a tribal member who works with Shola Trust and oversees the functioning of EDC, says around 10 kg of paper waste is required every day to churn out recycled paper of various thicknesses that can then be made into envelopes, files and bags. “Right now, most of the paper waste being processed in the unit comes from the canteen in Theppakadu, and also from shops and stores in Thorapalli,” says V.A. Saravanan, Deputy Director of MTR. The paper waste being collected by the eco-watchers will help boost production, he says. The Forest Department hopes to see a 20% reduction in litter across the reserve in the coming months. Ways to deal with plastic waste are also being explored.
The unit has been set up at a cost of ₹11 lakh, with funds from the Centre’s Department of Science and Technology and the Forest Department. Subhash Gautam, Managing Trustee of Shola Trust, hopes by next year the unit becomes self-sustainable. “By then, the eco-shop will have permission to use these products, and more people will have learnt of the unit and will place orders with us.”
Published - May 05, 2018 04:22 pm IST
