Waste management is a perennial problem that impacts not only our immediate environment but our planet as a whole. The amount of waste we generate today has become unsustainable and we as members of a civilized society need to take notice cut this disease at its root. As we generate more waste with our irresponsible and cavalier use of resources, the cost of waste management keeps shooting up and it impacts everyone. In the words of Mr Ratan Tata himself - "Money is yours but the resources belong to the society", we should realize the value of reducing waste and its impact on society at large.
Luckily, waste management does not have to be a herculean task if we do small things at the source of waste generation. The city councils such as BBMP and BMC have now mandated waste segregation as it is much easier to recycle. Effective segregation of wastes means that less waste goes to landfill which makes it cheaper to manage waste and has a positive impact on humanity and the environment.
So what are the key issues that apartment communities face?
- Vendors are painfully irregular in collecting waste from apartments. This results in a foul atmosphere in the apartment
- In spite of segregation at the source, vendors disregard the residents efforts and mix garbage. This is again sent to the landfill and completely defeats the purpose of waste segregation
- Apartment associations do not employ strict garbage segregation policies in their communities leading to mixing of waste
- Garbage vendors charge money from apartments to collect waste and hold them ransom to their services since apartments do not have logistical capabilities to transport their waste
- Private vendors who have their own waste processing centers are known to be expensive and affordability becomes an issue
Monthly Cost of Waste Collection for an Apartment
Let us consider a residential complex with 25 houses. A government assigned garbage contractor charges Rs 100 (on an average) per flat per month to collect unsegregated waste from apartments. Hence, the building pays Rs 2500 to the contractor on a monthly basis. Private vendors charge by weight and unsegregated waste collection may cost about Rs 6000 per building per month.
Is weight based collection of garbage really expensive?
Garbage is categorized into three groups.
- White — which is compostable waste such as food
- Green — which is dry and recyclable waste such as paper and recyclable plastic
- Red — which is reject waste such as sanitary pads, razors, blood stained medical equipment etc.
Garbage volume contains 70% White waste, 25% Green waste and 5% Red waste. Without segregation, your waste is labelled as Red waste and has to be sent to a landfill. Since reject waste is expensive to process, private vendors pass on that cost onto customers, thereby increasing the cost of waste management.
This is where segregation plays a key role in not only reducing waste at the source but also the cost of waste management. Association members should educate their residents about the importance of segregation and its direct impact on maintenance costs as well as the environment.
So how do we "clean up the garbage" problem?
Step 1 - Segregation
Implement segregation at a flat level and at an apartment level.
- Conduct a demo for all residents to implement segregation and educate them about the types of waste categories
- Residents must maintain a minimum of 2 bins for segregation of wet and dry waste.
- Since Red waste is not generated frequently, it must be compiled separately
- Implement a collection schedule for waste collection
- White - Daily
- Green - Thrice a week
- Red - Once a week
- Install color coded collection bins in the apartment for your housekeeping staff to release the waste collected from each house
- A color printed instruction sheet on segregation to be provided to all residents to help them implement segregation
- Review and Feedback to reduce errors in segregation
- Penalties for not following segregation methods
For more information on segregation visit https://www.2bin1bag.in/pamphlets
Step 2 — Hire a Reliable Vendor
Hiring a reliable vendor who follows waste management protocols and processes garbage as mandated by the law will help you in managing your waste collection efficiently and also reduce your cost of waste management.
You can find information on reliable vendors on citizen awareness groups such as KMB (Kasa Mukta Bellandur). Private vendors will charge you by weight but with effective segregation techniques as mentioned, you will be able to not only reduce the monthly cost of waste collection but also have a positive impact on the environment. Private vendors also comply with tax laws and will provide you a tax invoice for their service.
Private vendors do not charge for White waste. They only charge for Red (~Rs 5 per kg) and Green waste (~Rs 2 per kg). As White waste constitutes 70% of the volume, by eliminating it from the total waste generated reduces the monthly cost from Rs 6000 to Rs 2000 (Or even less) for a 25 flat apartment.
Step 3 — Wet Waste Composting
White waste is completely compostable and constitutes about 75% of daily waste. Implementing composting in your apartment has the following advantages:
- Composted waste can be used as manure in your garden areas or distributed to your residents for their personal gardens
- Manure can be sold back to local nurseries at an average price of 3 to 5 Rs per kg.
- Brings in a sustainable approach to waste management and reduces the dependency on garbage vendors to dispose off your daily waste
While composting involves an initial one time setup cost, the long term benefits in savings and the environmental impact is significantly high.
At ECARMA, our ethos is always "Prevention is better than cure" and we believe this is the key to long term sustainability. We are sure the above mentioned methods will help you in contributing to a better planet without burning a hole in your pocket. If you do wish to implement any of these techniques in your apartment, feel free to reach out to us at contactus@ecarma.in or at +91 9663165300
Visit us at: www.ecarma.in
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