The atmosphere is serious- scholarly, the voices are clear, arguments very respectful and logical- at regular intervals there are grunts of approval and sighs of wonder........the topic of this passionate discussion being 'waste management'. Welcome to the life of waste busters!
These people fantasise about waste. They surprise bhaji walas, sugarcane wallas by asking them for peels and baggasse. They can go to the extent of buying a separate mixer to mince the wastes- so microbes have it easy to break. They think nothing of getting up on Sunday mornings for a walk to the nearest cowshed to get their weekly supply of slurry to accelerate the compost. By the time they reach their 40s they have heard of Dandelar, Belvalkar, Excel industry and done the rounds of almost all sugarcane juice shops, municipality offices and know where good cow slurry can be sourced from. A true waste buster, however does not talk about his/ her passion- unless another kindred soul is spotted. And so we three, Anuradha, myself and Aniruddha form a group of waste-busters as we went to check out Aniruddha's home waste management kit.
All ordinary Parlekars pinch their noses, shut their eyes and generally screw their faces at the mention of waste. It is only the outstanding Parlekar who actually gets excited at its mention. Last Saturday we were at the home of one such Parlekar, Mr Aniruddha Deshpande. Passionate about composting and totally in love with environment he has been studying composting for the last decade. He has spent hours thiking, dreaming, designing, testing, talking, making kits for composting wet waste.
The advantage of his system over vermi-composting is- can be kept covered, takes very less space and time, is not at all fastidious, the microbes remain safe unlike earthworms which could be eaten by rats and one can put all variety of 'wet stuff' cooked,spicy, oily anything- so thats a big advantage. Now I want to see if this system can absord sanitary napkins- a highly hazardous pollutant but very necessary for any woman's good health and hygiene.
His invention using anaerobic waste composting in a double bucket system is really very good and appears to be effective. It is described in his brochure in my previous blog. Really there was no smell, no nuisance surrounding it at all. And it can even be kept indoors- an elegant solution for balcony- less Parlekars. This method can be adopted by all of us- put an end to transporting wastes. We can turn waste into manure and use it in our gardens and societies.
These people fantasise about waste. They surprise bhaji walas, sugarcane wallas by asking them for peels and baggasse. They can go to the extent of buying a separate mixer to mince the wastes- so microbes have it easy to break. They think nothing of getting up on Sunday mornings for a walk to the nearest cowshed to get their weekly supply of slurry to accelerate the compost. By the time they reach their 40s they have heard of Dandelar, Belvalkar, Excel industry and done the rounds of almost all sugarcane juice shops, municipality offices and know where good cow slurry can be sourced from. A true waste buster, however does not talk about his/ her passion- unless another kindred soul is spotted. And so we three, Anuradha, myself and Aniruddha form a group of waste-busters as we went to check out Aniruddha's home waste management kit.
All ordinary Parlekars pinch their noses, shut their eyes and generally screw their faces at the mention of waste. It is only the outstanding Parlekar who actually gets excited at its mention. Last Saturday we were at the home of one such Parlekar, Mr Aniruddha Deshpande. Passionate about composting and totally in love with environment he has been studying composting for the last decade. He has spent hours thiking, dreaming, designing, testing, talking, making kits for composting wet waste.
The advantage of his system over vermi-composting is- can be kept covered, takes very less space and time, is not at all fastidious, the microbes remain safe unlike earthworms which could be eaten by rats and one can put all variety of 'wet stuff' cooked,spicy, oily anything- so thats a big advantage. Now I want to see if this system can absord sanitary napkins- a highly hazardous pollutant but very necessary for any woman's good health and hygiene.
His invention using anaerobic waste composting in a double bucket system is really very good and appears to be effective. It is described in his brochure in my previous blog. Really there was no smell, no nuisance surrounding it at all. And it can even be kept indoors- an elegant solution for balcony- less Parlekars. This method can be adopted by all of us- put an end to transporting wastes. We can turn waste into manure and use it in our gardens and societies.
Went through your blog today.. The matter about Sanitary Napkins may be incorrect. Kindly
ReplyDeletecheck. According to me they are non- biodegradable.
check this article
STs and diapers: Whose responsibility?
No one would disagree that soiled sanitary towels (STs) and diapers must be disposed of
safely. So far, the burden of handling
this nauseating waste has been shouldered by waste collectors and the municipality. But what
about the companies who
manufacture the napkins and diapers? What is their role in ensuring that their products are
not a hazard to waste collectors,
citizens or the environment?
For some time now, SWaCH has been trying to get some answers
from the manufacturing companies - Proctor & Gamble, Kimberley
Clark and Johnson & Johnson. But all attempts to communicate
through email, letters, personal communication and by sending
information, have been met with silence. In November 2012, GTZ
(German Agency for International Cooperation) had organized
an international meeting in Germany where company heads
were invited. No commitment was given by the manufacturing
companies at that meeting. Even a recent invitation to a joint
consultation issued by the Hon. Mayor of Pune, Smt. Vaishali
Banker and Shri. Mahesh Pathak (Commissioner, PMC), received
no response from the companies.
As a last resort to get the companies’ attention, SWaCH launched
the ‘Send It Back’ campaign on 8th March 2013. Boxes of used STs were sent back to the
manufacturers! This drastic step
seems to have worked. On 3rd April, although the companies did not send their own corporate
representatives to the meeting,
representatives of the Feminine and Infant Health Association (FIHA) met for a discussion with
the Jt. Commissioner, Solid
Waste Management, PMC, Mr Suresh Jagtap, SWaCH representatives and representatives from the
civil society organizations
Parisar and Janwani. At the meeting it became clear that the companies had not put in place a
clear directive for end disposal.
This waste is neither compostable nor can it be recycled.
The meeting took into account the provisions of Extended Producer’s Responsibility (EPR)
included in the Plastic Waste
(Management and Handling) Rules 2011, notified by the Ministry of Environment and Forests on
4th February, 2011. EPR
requires producers to finance and organize a system for environmentally sound management of
waste (especially nonbiodegradable
waste) generated from their products, and to take responsibility for the end of life of their
products. Those
attending the meeting wanted to know the manufacturing companies’ plan of action in this
context.
Mr Jagtap emphasized that this meeting was an opportunity to “create a model in Pune which
could be an example for the
rest of the country.”
SWaCH members have also met with Mr T.C Benjamin (Addlitional Chief Secretary, Department of
Public Health, Government
of Maharashtra) to highlight this issue. FIHA members (the manufacturing companies) have been
told to develop a proposal
with concrete steps at the earliest.
While policy changes are being made, citizens can do their bit by ensuring that soiled diapers
ReplyDeleteand STs are not simply chucked
in the daily garbage for waste collectors to segregate. Some ST manufacturers provide a
plastic cover in which to dispose
soiled STs, but these are too flimsy (tear easily), non-biodegradable and cannot be securely
tied. Perhaps for these reasons,
they are rarely used. SWaCH has a viable alternative – the ST Dispo Bag made from recycled
newspaper which is sturdy, has a
string to tie, and is easily identifiable by waste collectors. Older SWaCH members who can no
longer do door to door collection
earn a small living from making these bags which are sold at a nominal price of Rs 1 each.
“If each pad is wrapped in an identifiable pouch, we won’t even have to open it – we will
simply send it into the correct disposal
stream,” said Mangal Kamble, SWaCH member from Hadapsar.
SWaCH has suggested that ST manufacturers actively advocate the use of any identifiable bag,
sticker or mark. The ST dispo
bag made by SWaCH is only one alternative.
03
Rekha Sakpal, a waste picker working in PCMC points out that the “companies spend so much
money on research to make
the pads comfortable for women to use. Why can’t they spend some money to ensure that the pads
are wrapped and disposed
properly?”
Citizens who use the ST Dispo Bags feel good about being proactive on this issue. Pune-based
entrepreneur Mruga Kirloskar,
has been a regular user of SWaCH ST Dispo bags ever since she first heard of them. “As a
responsible citizen, I feel it is my
duty to be accountable for the manner in which I dispose my waste,” she says.
Echoing her sentiment is Leena Karia from Kharadi who says: “For the past 4 years, when I
throw a sanitary pad in the dustbin,
I am guilt-free. I urge others to use these bags and preserve the health and dignity of waste
pickers.”
Adult diapers continues to be a pressing issue for the health of waste pickers. Is it
biomedical waste? If not what stream does
it belong to and how can it be safely handled and disposed?
From my friend Digamber Karekar. He mailed me- I have copied and pasted the mail