Gurgaon: Sourav bats for segregation, solid waste management

Former Indian cricket captain and brand ambassador of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Sourav Ganguly, shared how his daughter is careful of handling waste and tells them at home to segregate waste in proper form. He said it is important to pass the right message through the young generation, as the children are much more mature and have more exposure in schools about waste management.

Former India cricket team captain Sourav Ganguly at the event on Wednesday.(Parveen Kumar/HT)

He was speaking at a waste segregation program- ‘Alag Karo- Har Din Teen Bin’ held in the city on Wednesday. The initiative is aimed at establishing and sustaining segregation of waste at source and capacity building of the waste collectors.

“As citizens, it is our responsibility to contribute to the maintenance and conservation of the environment. I hope such initiatives inspire many more to come forward and work towards not only reducing and recycling waste, but also implement efficient waste management processes across the country,” said Ganguly.

It is a collaborative project involving government, private sector and members of the civil society. It will be implemented by SAAHAS, a not-for-profit organization working in close coordination with the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) under its “Open Waste Free’ initiative.

“Gurgaon generates 1,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste daily. If source segregation is practised and collection and processing infrastructure is improved, it is possible to reduce the amount of waste being dumped by 85-90%. The MCG has started various projects for source segregation of waste and decentralised waste management,” said Narhari Banger, additional commissioner, MCG.

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MCG has also motivated the RWA’s to start their own zero waste plant and has promised to extend their support in terms of technology as well as monetary support.

“Segregation is critical for reducing waste at source and composting wet waste as well as recycling a good part of it before it goes to a landfill. Equally important is reduction of consumption, especially of plastic waste and polythene bags,” said Gauri Sarin, founder of Gurgaon Action Plan.