Waste segregation awareness yields results: MC

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, July 18

Streamlining the solid waste management scheme in city, the MC has launched the pilot project of waste segregation and collection in three wards. With an aim to create awareness and educate citizens about solid waste management as well as ensuring smooth functioning of the process, the MC has earmarked teams of officials in each ward to supervise the project.

Komal Mittal, Additional Commisioner, MC, is the nodal officer. “The project has initially been started in Ward No. 10, 19 and 53. The MC has already distributed dustbins for segregated waste. Garbage vehicles with wet and dry waste collection segments have been plying in the wards for collection. A team of two to three officials carries out door-to-door survey-cum-awareness drive to ensure that maximum residents participate in the process of waste segregation,” informed Mittal.

These wards include Model Town, Shamsher Nagar (Khandwala) and Kotla Basti, Mustafabad (Batala road). Mittal said the project was launched almost a month ago and the areas have already reported a decline of 20% garbage. “We have also been carrying out appreciation activities for residents who are carrying out not just segregation of waste but also re-cycling,” she said.

Ranjit Singh, Chief Sanitary inspector (CSI), Ward No. 53, said officials, including two CSIs and an official from the Punjab Municipal Infrastructure Development Company, Chandigarh, has been visiting households every morning to educate people about the segregation process. “We have been going door-to-door, asking people to segregate the dry and wet waste. Also, a positive approach is taken while educating people about the concept of solid waste management as it needs a holistic support to become a success. Sometimes, we even teach people to use kitchen waste for composting.”

Singh informs that since the launch of the project, the wards have reported 20-30% fall in garbage. “An average of 1.5- 2 tonnes of solid waste is otherwise collected from these wards every day. But since, more people now segregating waste, we have seen a fall in garbage collection. Also we sent the dry, recyclable waste to the garbage collectors, who in turn earn daily revenue from it. This is kind of a positive reinforcement tactic for the stakeholders involved to promote the process,” he said.

Organic waste is used for composting at the compost pit created by the MC at the dumping ground. “It’s a great initiative that only requires a minor change of lifestyle for us. We use our kitchen waste for composting in our garden and it also ensures that the piles of garbage we see in every nook and corner of road disappear. Most of the residents in our lane already are segregating as individual responsibility,” said Rajendra Sharma, a resident of Gali Chowdharian, Shamsher Nagar.