The basic idea of the initiative is to ensure that the society’s waste does not end up at landfill sites.
Taking initiative to reduce environmental stress and the impact of urban waste on environment, Ashiana Upvan, a high-rise in Indirapuram, has started work with the aim of making the society a "zero-waste zone". According to members of the society AOA, the plan is to reduce both bio-degradable and non-biodegradable waste output of the society to zero.
“There are two major garbage dumps coming up near our society. When we approached authorities, we were told that the garbage dumped at both these sites is generated from the very societies of Indirapuram — and hence, this initiative,” said Anil Sharma, AOA president.
According to Sharma, his society alone generates around 700 kg of mixed waste every day. “We, with help from the Green Team members of our society, have tied up with Auctus E Recycling Solutions, a Greater Noida-based agency. It will collect the society’s waste daily. The waste will be segregated at the source — the households, and then be picked up by the agency,” he explained.
The basic idea of the initiative is to ensure that the society’s waste does not end up at landfill sites. “According to our discussion with the agency, the biodegradable waste will be turned into compost, and the other waste, including plastic and electronic, will be recycled in other ways,” he added.
The initiative is the brainchild of the local Green Team formed by residents and AOA members of Ahinsa Khand 2 societies.
Speaking to City Spidey, Abhinav Agarwal, a resident of Ahinsa Khand 2, and a member of Green Team, said, “Apart from approaching the authorities regarding the garbage dumps, residents have been looking for ways to deal with the problem on their own.”
Agarwal himself undertakes home composting, and has thus successfully reduced a significant portion of his daily household waste. “We have our hopes pinned on the Ashiana Upvan project. If it works out successfully, it can be implemented in all other societies of the area,” he stressed.
According to AOA members of the society, the major challenge in the programme is to habituate residents with the process of segregating household waste. Till now, residents have been inadvertently mixing wet and dry waste. “We have one month to start the project, but have a plan of six months to change the habit of residents. Apart from sending notices and circulars from the AOA, we’ll also conduct a door-to-door campaign to make residents aware. I know it is tedious, but it has to be done,” the AOA president said.
A representative of Auctus, the waste-recycling agency, told City Spidey that the agency itself is into recycling e-waste, but the bio-degradable wet waste of the society will be handed over to another sister concern of the agency, which will then convert it to compost. “We have started the initiative a few days back and are working on this single society,” he added.
