Open house: What should be done to encourage Chandigarh residents to home compost kitchen waste?

Spread awareness via social media

Awareness is the key. The UT Administration/NGOs must conduct webinars, seminars, meetings and workshops to encourage residents for home composting from kitchen waste. Involvement of youth and children in composting activities can give a good start to the practice. Subsidies and incentives must be offered for making compost at home. The Administration can print brochure on how to prepare compost from kitchen waste. A hotline number can be launched to answer residents’ questions and provide help about home composting. Information in this regard can also be circulated on the social media and local groups.

Vineet Gandhi, Chandigarh

Give demonstrations in sector parks

The Chandigarh Administration can send videos of the process for making compost from kitchen waste on WhatsApp number of residents. This will help residents interested in home composting. Live demonstrations of preparing home compost can be given in sector parks.

Sapna Sharda, Chandigarh

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Not feasible for every household

It is just not feasible for every household to dispose of kitchen waste by home composting as most city residents live in multistoried flats. They have no space for home composting. The Municipal Corporation and the Forest Department land in close proximity to residential areas, two kanal and above houses must be mandated to have a dedicated composting pit. This will reduce load on garbage processing units.

Subhash Luthra, Chandigarh

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Technical knowledge not required

Home composting is the need of hour and also an effective and eco-friendly way to manage solid waste. One kanal house has sufficient space at the backyard for home composting pits. Residents don’t require any technical knowledge, but only some basic tips, which they can follow to prepare compost from kitchen waste. Wet waste generated at our home can be turned into compost. This compost enriches soil, reduces need of chemical fertilisers and lowers carbon footprint.

Dr Shakha Sharda, Chandigarh

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Dispose of wet, dry waste in two bins

The Administration should strictly instruct waste collectors to separate wet and dry garbage so that it could be easily turned into compost. Moreover, onus lies on residents too. They can dispose of wet and dry waste in two dustbins. This way it will be convenient for the MC staff to collect waste from doorstep and turn it into compost.

Tarunjot Kaur, Greater Mohali

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Welcome step of the Municipal corporation

It is a welcome step taken by the Municipal Corporation (MC) to make compulsory for two kanal houses to prepare compost from kitchen waste. The MC should ensure that segregated wet and dry waste is collected from houses with plot areas less than two kanal. Whole kitchen waste must be used to prepare compost.

NPS Sohal, Chandigarh

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Provide free of cost bins to residents

Our aim should be that no biodegradable waste like cut vegetables, leaves, leftover food, milk, curd, tea leaves, toilet paper and other things go waste. It should be converted into compost, which can be used to grow flowers and vegetables at home. The MC should supply bins free of cost or at nominal subsided rates to residents, which can be used to prepare compost from the kitchen waste. This will not only save transporting cost of waste, but reduce environment-related problems faced by residents living near garbage dumps.

Col TBS Bedi (retd), Mohali

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Post information on social media sites

Today’s generation is willing to keep themselves updated through social media. Therefore, the Administration should post information regarding preparing compost from the kitchen waste and disposing of vegetable and fruit peels in a separate container on social media sites. This will help in protecting the environment.

Satinder Kaur, Greater Mohali

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Provide info to all and sundry

Information should be given to all and sundry about what can be turned into compost. The home composting process can be published in newspapers and posted on social media sites. This make residents aware of how to prepare compost at home.

Jasmer Singh, Greater Mohali

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Vermicomposting, bokashi is solution

How to deal with kitchen waste is a problem faced by city residents. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, 94 per cent of food thrown away is combusted or sent to landfills, both of which release methane and harm the environment. People must be aware that planting trees and using eco-friendly products cannot make the UT clean and green. However, you will live up to a green cause in real sense when you start composting your daily kitchen waste at home. Moreover, why people don’t home compost is due to lack of adequate space in apartments. So, people should made aware about small space composting like vermi and bokashi. Besides, public workshops should be organised to apprise residents about easiest way to compost kitchen waste indoors easily and quickly.

Ekamnoor Singh, Punjab

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Make available compost bins

Community composting in Chandigarh should be encouraged. First of all, residents must be given training for preparing good quality compost. Wherever necessary, the MC should make available suitable containers/bins to house owners for preparing compost from kitchen waste. Compost prepared should be collected by the MC and sold at reasonable profit.

MR Bhateja, Naya Gaon

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Motivate residents for home composting

The aim behind increasing residents’ participation in preparing compost at home is to reduce wet waste generation in the city. At present, institutions, which produce 100-kg garbage per day are required to house process kitchen waste. In this new scheme, institution, which produce 50-kg garbage per day, have to process wet waste on their own. The MC and RWAs should physically demonstrate preparation of compost from kitchen waste. Residents should be motivated for home composting.

Vidya Sagar, Panchkula

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Don’t force people to prepare compost

The Municipal Corporation should not force people to make compost from their kitchen waste. As a responsible citizens, people should themselves take the initiative of making compost from kitchen waste and use it in their own gardens or flower pots. Also the corporation should make one or two more pits besides the existing ones in parks. Also, the civic body should instruct its staff to dump kitchen waste collected from houses in these pits on daily basis. After a fortnight or a month, when the compost is ready, the corporation can sell it to generate more revenue. In the present scenario, nobody likes stinking smell or mosquitoes breeding on kitchen waste kept to turn into compost at their respective homes.

Savita Kuthiala, Chandigarh

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Why plan only for selected few?

It’s a welcome intervention by the UT Administration to encourage people for making compost at home. But why only selected few? Each and every household must make compost at home and encourage their neighbours and friends for doing the same. This action should not be limited to the size of the house. Rather, all actions in this direction must prove your size. I have been doing the same at my house too. We make our own compost at home and segregate dry and wet waste. I think each one if us must understand that it is our responsibility to keep the earth clean and green.

Anju Mohan, Panchkula

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Home composting can save money

We can save money through home composting. This reduces use of factory fertilisers and chemicals for home gardens. Use of home-made compost ensures that vegetables grown in kitchen garden are good for health. Besides, home composting keeps 30 per cent of waste from going to trash cans.

Anita Tandon, Kharar

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Give incentive for bio-compost plant

The MC authorities and the UT Administration must initiate scheme for incentivising the installation of bio-compost plants by residents and institutions. Bio-compost is quite suitable for making land fertile and for growing vegetables, other crops and grass as well. The authorities should fund the installation of bio-compost plants, purchase compost from plant owners at suitable price and sell it in the market. Lot of compost can be used by MC Horticulture Department itself for maintaining their gardens, parks and green belts.

Sanjay Chopra, Mohali

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Prepare Home compost to reduce waste

It is good idea to make compost from kitchen waste in bigger houses. It can reduce waste generation. Residents can grow their own organic vegetables and fruits with home-made compost. In this way they will not only save money, but also help the Administration. The Administration should organise seminars and training programmes so that people can learn proper techniques of preparing compost from kitchen waste. Even people, who have one kanal houses, can also prepare compost.

Sukhwant Bhullar, Chandigarh

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Awareness key to good work

The Chandigarh Administration should take necessary steps to encourage city residents for home compositing of the kitchen waste. An awareness campaign regarding the compositing technique should be organised through online platforms such as Zoom, Cisco, Webex, YouTube and Google Meet. Door-to-door awareness drive can also be helpful to encourage residents for home compositing kitchen waste. Awareness is the only vital key to any good work. The Municipal Corporation should reward residents, who make compost from kitchen waste in their houses.

Adish Sood, Amloh

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Invite suggestions from residents

The Chandigarh Municipal Corporation has proposed best plan to prepare compost at homes. But, residents are not aware of the benefits of home composting. Success demands perseverance. The MC should not amend the building bylaws to make composting mandatory for two-kanal houses without taking residents consent. The Administration and the MC should motivate residents for home composting. The authorities can launch door-to-door drive to convince residents about benefits of home composting. Composting will reduce kitchen waste. The authority must invite suggestions from residents regarding home composting.

Sumesh Kumar Badhwar, Mohali

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Going green, growing green should be motto

Going green and growing green should be the motto of everyone’s life. We make our compost, grow vegetables at home and plant saplings using best out of waste. This must become a culture. All must known how important it is to not to let garbage from kitchen go waste. The MC must educate people, children at schools, colleges and university. Eco club can be established at all levels.

Garv Bhupesh Verma, Panchkula

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Breeding ground of rodents, insects

The idea to encourage residents to prepare compost at home is an innovative one. Residents should be given proper training for home composting, The Administration should bear all costs for setting up home composting units for the kitchen waste. Residents may not be motivated for home composting as kitchen waste is generally unhygienic and generates stench. Kitchen waste can become breeding ground of rodents and dangerous insects. It would be better if the initiative is launched as a pilot project in residential government bungalows and houses before extending to private spaces.

Dr Anil Kumar Yadav, Chandigarh

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Reduce waste collection charges

Many residents are interested in home composting, but are vary for to the stench it may emanate. It is felt that proper guidance for preparing compost from kitchen waste is not available for an average citizen. Ways and methods are to be evolved to educate residents about the benefits and methodology of home composting. The information of availability of equipment required is also wanted. The residents should be incentivised for this process by reducing their garbage collection charges. Another fear is availability of space and disposal of residues after composting.

Bharat Bhush, Chandigarh

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Mandatory composting is welcome step

The decision of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation to make composting mandatory for those residing in two-kanal houses in the city, is a welcome step indeed. The innovative proposal needs to be pushed across and popularised among those residing in smaller tenements, turning this impassioned initiative to a grass-root level activity. What all the MC needs to do to make it a success is to shun tokenism and roll out the innovative proposal forward under the watch of experts from the field, to be randomly monitored by the dispensation. Civil society can also play a pivotal role in making this dream project a success and reap rich dividends. NGOs may also be roped in to spread the ground message across the public so that they come forward voluntarily to opt for home composting.

Ramesh K Dhiman, Chandigarh

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Offer concessions to popularise composting

Segregate edible kitchen waste in separate dustbins with four to five holes and cover it with a sheet or wooden block to help retain moisture. This waste will turn into compost within a month. By segregating and recycling a family of four or five can reduce their kitchen waste considerably. It would help build green city. Educating residents about home composting is need of the hour. Besides, offering concessions in water or electricity bills would motivate people to adopt home composting.

Charu Malhotra, Mohali

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Give reward, bins for making compost

The Administration should give basic equipment at nominal rate to residents to prepare compost from kitchen waste. Training on how to make compost from kitchen waste should also be provided to residents. NGOs can guide residents on home composting techniques. Volunteers, who make compost from kitchen waste, must be rewarded by the Administration. The sector, which produces more compost and less waste, should also be rewarded.

Avinash Goyal, Chandigarh

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Good way to reduce kitchen waste

Home composting is a good way to reduce kitchen waste and derive its benefits. Besides making composting compulsory in big houses, the Administration should collaborate with NGOs and RWAs to distribute composting bins among city residents. People should be apprised about benefits of composting. Camps should be organised to spread awareness on home composting. Incentives should be given to families, who prepare compost from kitchen waste.

Saikrit Gulati, Chandigarh

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Hire professionals to guide residents

Most domestic garbage is kitchen waste. If kitchen waste is converted into compost, the MC will be relieved of major load of garbage at Daddu Majra dumping ground. Making compost can be made mandatory for residential units of two kanal and above. For marla houses also composting should be encouraged by luring residents with incentives. The MC can hire professionals to advise public for making compost pits. Even to the flats compost bins may be provided free of cost and guided by the experts to converting kitchen waste to compost.

Sqn Ldr Manjit Johar (rtd), Chandigarh

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QUESTION

Daily cases of Covid-19 have again started showing a spike in Chandigarh. Over 90 coronavirus cases are being reported daily from the city. How can the Administration contain the spread of the virus in the UT? What precautions can an individual take to stay safe from the virus?

Suggestions in not more than 70 words can be sent to [email protected]