Veggies grow on waste in Bangalore

Bangalore: As the garbage crisis festers, residents in some parts of the city seem to have woken up to the fact that the garbage generated at their houses is their own responsibility. Some are now seen segregating waste at its source in their houses and apartment complexes. Express looks at some models. Model 1 Small quantity of waste generated in households is easily segregated into wet waste (kitchen waste) and dry waste (plastic, papers, electronic items etc).

The kitchen waste like vegetables and fruit peels, rotting vegetables and fruits, tea bags, coffee grounds, cooked food residue, crushed egg shells, flowers, etc are left to decompose in a terracotta pot. The waste materials are divided into three components. “Wet waste is left to decompose in a pot (in the top section of the pot) and then shifted to the bottom one when it is filled. This unit can be kept in the garden or at the balcony, and it does not smell foul,” said Namrata Jain, a resident of Fairfields Layout on Race Course Road.

This is a concept of Daily Dump, an organisation working for waste management. To ensure good composting, the organisation supplies material and gives tips on segregating and composting. “Lemon grass spray, neem, sawdust, microbes are mixed with the wet waste to ensure that it does not smell,” Jain added. The compost is used in the gardens at home and community parks.

Further, the dry waste is segregated and dumped into a blue tank kept between three nearby houses which is later sent for recycling. The community members at Fairfields even use the same for parks in their area, where the dry leaves and other garden wastes are composted.

Archana Surana, another resident of the layout, has even managed to do rooftop gardening. “I grow tomato, green chillies, spinach and coriander leaves for my daily needs. It’s all grown out of the compost made from kitchen waste,” she said. According to Daily Dump, close to 25,000 households in Bangalore use this concept.

Residents at Ferns Paradise near Marathalli Outer Ring Road, Royal Palm Apartment in C V Ramannagar, Sobha Aster Apartments on Bannerghatta Road and Golden Star Apartment in Mahadevapura are some who use this waste management practice.

Model 2 Residents of Diamond District Apartments on Old Airport Road segregate waste at source and generate income out of all the waste. They sell plastic to a waste management company which turns thousands of tonnes of waste plastic and uses them with asphalt to lay roads. Similarly, the compost is sold to nearby gardeners. Old newspapers are sold to ITC factory which recycles and uses for its products. The e-waste is sold to a private company.

“We segregate the waste at source at individual houses and then collect it and dispose it of. We try to generate revenue out of every waste and stay environment friendly,” said Meera Madhok, a resident at Diamond District Apartment.

K Ahmed Khan, managing director of K K Plastic Waste Management, said, even without a plastic ban, the plastic litter can be put to good use. “The plastic is shredded into tiny pieces and mixed with asphalt. The roads laid using these things last longer than conventional roads and rid the city of excess plastic,” Ahmed Khan added.