South civic body eyes Pune model for garbage solution

The garbage woes of the residents of South Delhi will soon be a thing of the past. The South Delhi Municipal Corporation is all set to initiate a pilot project, adopting a model successfully undertaken in Pune, for segregation, disposal and composting on ward and society level. Ritam Halder reports.

The garbage woes of the residents of South Delhi will soon be a thing of the past.

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The South Delhi Municipal Corporation is all set to initiate a pilot project, adopting a model successfully undertaken in Pune, for segregation, disposal and composting on ward and society level.

Dubbed as the Zero Waste Management system, the model will see garbage being processed and recycled. "In Katraj ward of Pune city, the system has been in use for the past two years with the help of two NGOs. One of them gets waste-pickers to take two bins - one for dry and the other for wet waste - door-to-door and thereby ensure segregation at source," South commissioner Manish Gupta told Hindustan Times.

"When they are not mixed, the value of garbage increases. Paper, glass, metal can be sold off. Thus this segregation at source by citizens will help processing garbage within the ward or colony. The wet waste can be used for composting. The money generated helps pay the wages of the now-organised waste-pickers," Gupta said.

The project, which according to officials is likely to become operational in six months, will decrease requirement of SLF sites, decrease transportation cost - as minimal amount of waste will be needed to be carried away- and will have minimal environmental impact.

"We will select the area where the pilot project can start - either in Dwarka or Vasant Kunj. It will be done through an expression of interest after which various NGOs can apply," a senior official said.