Garbage Management Need of Hour

Garbage management has become a necessity in all the metro cities and the cities having unmanageable population and urban growth. We indulge in throwing our food, vegetable and other leftovers or burn or bury them here and there. But we refrain from thinking that waste thus generated can be harmful to others. And big difference exists between behaviour pattern of we Indians outside and in India. It is the enforcement factor that matters.

It is desirable that we eat and drink in lower quantity in parties, weddings, festivals, community feasts, rallies and religious functions.These unsustainable habits and happenings create stinking dumps and public nuisance, apart from adverse effect on the environment.Wastes also penetrate into ground water and are capable of entering food chain. Acceleration in pest infestations, air pollution and deterioration of overall public health take place.

Hazardous Matter

Harmful contaminations can be hazardous in the long run. Not only these places stink, but invariably children get exposed as they play over there. In view of the fact that dumping takes place mainly late at night, it is not possible to carry out monitoring and catch the culprits.

Violation of Environmental Laws

It goes without saying that illegal dumping activity violates various environmental laws, such as, Environment Protection Act,1986, Wildlife Protection Act,1972, Solid Waste Management Rules,1986 etc.

Garbage seen over surface can be taken care of but the one burried under the sub soil is not even visible. Also there is no guarantee about these sites, for, removed garbage is likely to be dumped again at a new place. If this is the scenario who will be held accountable ?

What is Waste ?

Waste is any material that is unwanted, non useful and which has been discarded. It can be solid, liquid or gas. Liquid waste may comprise of dirty water, wash water, waste detergents, organic liquids and rain water. Also we generate solid rubbish, organic waste, recyclable rubbish, and hazardous waste.

Types of Waste

Industrial waste comes from chemicals, plastics and solid rocks. Agricultural waste, such as, leaves, stubble etc is well understood. Solid waste is from packaging materials, food scraps, clothing and household goods. Organic waste comprises of rotten meat, eggs, fish, garden waste and food waste.

Kitchen Waste

When we talk of waste, waste generated in the kitchen can not be ignored. It is in form of vegetable waste, fruit waste, spoiled food, waste paper, napkins, polythene, styrofoam, thermocol, glass & metal objects, old wooden objects, flower pots etc.

Household Waste

Examples of household waste are newspapers, magazines and books, plastic items, such as, bottles, bags, envelopes and packets, glass bottles, broken utensils, cans, discarded cloths and wood products.

Waste Management And Five ‘ R ‘sIt is the process of handling waste from its creation to final disposal .It includes collecting, transporting, treating and disposal of what is collected. It comprises of landfill, waste compaction, incineration, bio gas production, recycling and vermi composting.Landfill and Domestic Composting are relatively easy and inexpensive methods of garbage disposal.

Recycling converts waste into a new type of usable product through industrial processing. Aluminium, paper, glass, and plastic are commonly recycled materials.

Door To Door Collection

Such collection of garbage is a convenient and the most viable way. But we must segregate dry and wet waste prior to passing the buck to collecting boy. Idea is to reduce, reuse and prevent waste. New idea of Trash To Cash is also gaining ground. Broad objective could be sustainable management of waste. If followed seriously and properly, protection of human wealth and environment, conservation of resources and ultimately, reduction in pollution may be possible.

Five “R”s of Waste Management are:

Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose and Recycle

Cases of Delhi, Indore and Other Clean Cities

In a vast mega city of Delhi, round about 30 million tons of garbage is generated by 1.80 Crore citizens on a daily basis, of which only 10 million tons are cleared. But population and construction activities are also increasing day by day. As such, its area has become 1,484 Sq.kms.

Three prominent Landfills of the city are: Ghazipur, set up in 1984, Bhalswa established in 1994 and Okhla which came up in 1996. Of these, Ghazipur is spread in an area of 70 acres and attains a height of 236 metres, higher than Qutub Minar.

As Indore has been praised for its waste management initiatives and adjudged India’s cleanest city more than once, other cities need to draw lessons from their experience.

It has also earned its name and fame due to its efficient waste segregation, innovative recycling strategy and citizen participation leading to requisite awareness.

In the same way, Surat and Navi Mumbai too have been recognised for their cleanliness, waste management and commitment to eco-friendly initiatives.

Suburbs of N.C.R., such as, Ghaziabad and NOIDA, though expanding very rapidly, still do not have proper landfills, even when tremendous domestic and construction waste is generated. Garbage being dumped into Hindon and Yamuna rivers shall have to be stopped immediately.

These towns also have large number of hospitals but not all of them have incinerators. One can imagine also about sad state of affairs as regards disposal of bio-medical waste. Woes and struggles of the residents can be very well imagined under such circumstances.

Plight of Aravalli Range

To sum up, it may be necessary to draw our attention to garbage dumping going on along Aravalli hill area in Delhi and Haryana for a long time. A contract worth Rs 3 Crores has been given to clear 32,000 tons of household garbage, construction debris and industrial refuse.

In addition, rapid construction activity is also worrisome. From this one can make out the damage being done to world’s oldest mountain range.

Concluding Remarks

Apart from fining people on the spot, taking action against transporters and contractors, officers & staff have to be held personally liable for grave lapses to the cause of environment.

We have to raise our voice against improper garbage management from time to time. Resident welfare associations, builders and citizen bodies need to be sensitized effectively from time to time. If school children could become a force to reckon with against use of fire crackers, they need to be oriented also against unhealthy practices of garbage management.

Can We Give A Slogan ?

“CLEAN STREETS, CLEAN PLANET “

(Alok K.Shrivastava is the former Chief Secretary of Sikkim)