Continuing Urbania’s Green evolution
A resident initiative to transform Rustomjee Urbania township into a zero-garbage community
The third issue of Times of Urbania on April 20, 2019, was about Urbania’s Green Crusaders chronicling residents who voluntarily recycle their household waste through a Thane NGO, Samarth Bharath Vyaspeeth (SBV). Green Crusaders is a three-year initiative to prevent materials of value from reaching municipal landfills through the household garbage stream.
More than a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, Urbania’s recycling drive continues and shows how committed volunteers can keep a movement alive even through challenging times.
During the past sixteen months, Green Crusaders have continued their fortnightly recycling drive. Stree Mukti Sangathan (SMS), an NGO that generates employment for women through waste segregation for recyclables’ sale as scrap has continued its activity at Urbania’s Azziano Phase II and Acura buildings. Urbani’s buildings with space for segregation can use such arrangements for daily waste recycling through SMS. Acura building residents have segregated household garbage since 2016 and after source segregation, they involved SMS to further identify waste of scrap value for disposal.
Such continued efforts show the strength of resident interest in making Urbania remain an environmentally sensitive community.
Green Crusaders is Urbania’s WhatsApp group that channels residents recycling efforts by coordinating a fortnightly material collection drive for further processing by SBV at Kopri.
Each weekend Green Crusaders members deposit their plastic, glass, metal, paper, cardboard, clothes, and electronic goods at designated spots from where SBV employees collect them for processing. As Urbania has numerous buildings, Green Crusaders have three places: Atelier, Azziano Phase I, and Azziano Phase II, where residents leave their recyclables.
SBV’s Bhatu Sawant has confirmed that Rustomjee Urbania is one of the biggest plastic recycling communities in Thane. Though many Thane housing societies are also involved in waste segregation and safe disposal, the number of people involved and the continuity in the effort is notable at Rustomjee Urbania.
At its Kopri facility that Thane Municipal Corporation has provided it, SBV provides sanitation workers employment of sorting the materials it collects for sale to scrap dealers. SBV also has a pilot poly fuel plant that converts plastic to liquid fuel with applications for energy generation in industries. SBV also converts floral wastes to compost and horticultural waste into fuel briquettes. SBV takes tree branches and other woody materials in municipal waste to energy-producing fuel briquettes.
Recently, SBV had a corporate sponsor facilitate its waste sorting through a semi-automated line which increases the capacity of the waste handlers in segregating many tons of recyclables they receive.
Green Crusaders discusses with the managing committees (MCs) of Urbania’s buildings to streamline the waste collection to minimize the use of TMC’s ghanta Gadi (waste truck). Green Crusaders passionately believe that Urbania residents should rely on TMC trucks only to dispose of hazardous waste. Thus, in the new phase of the sustainable living drive, Green Crusaders is promoting the move of Rustomjee Urbania to a zero-waste community.
Rustomjee builders have provided space and facilities for waste management at their Urbania township buildings, including storage of dry waste and composting of wet waste.
The on-site Organic Waste Composters (OWC) help converts all kitchen and garden waste into nutrient-rich manure for use in gardens or sale to farmers who can use it on their farms. Unfortunately, even with the Green Crusaders initiative, all Urbania residents are not recycling, resulting in truckloads of garbage moving out from the township daily.
One of the township’s major challenges is residents not segregating waste into Wet, Dry, and Hazardous categories for quick, safe, and effective waste handling. Without such ‘source segregation,’ each building’s managing committee must expend housekeeping effort to sort and dispose of the waste. Azziano ABC MC has successfully transitioned its buildings to complete waste segregation by identifying the challenges and motivating residents to comply with the requirement.
Though the Government of India notified new Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM) Rules on April 8, 2016, their implementation is way behind schedule. The MSWM rules require all waste generators, individuals, or institutions to segregate waste at origin, though few cities in India have succeeded in such practice. In some cities, apartment complexes do not pick up the household waste if the resident has not segregated it. Urbania may have to use such tactics to discourage the mixing of waste. Also, just like social restrictions during the pandemic, Urbania should consider regulations to prevent waste segregation violators.
The COVID-19 pandemic has come in the way of restriction on plastic use and recycling as both the central and state governments have not strictly enforced orders on the ban of disposable plastic items they wanted to be replaced by alternates. Moreover, the restriction on brick-and-mortar stores and the reliance on e-commerce websites for shopping since the past year and more have resulted in excessive packaging waste generation.
Fee online shoppers consciously minimize their buying or diligently recycle the cardboard and plastic waste that they receive with their packages. Unfortunately, the reliance on food delivery in the pandemic has also created large quantities of plastic waste.
Green Crusaders now wants all residents to daily segregate their waste and send only hazardous wastes for TMC disposal.
If hundreds of Green Crusaders have practiced segregation and recycling for three years, thousands of Urbania residents can do so.
Green Crusaders encourages a personalized recycling strategy with no compulsion on the steps each member takes. For example, many group members collect newspapers and other wastepaper they dispose of through scrap dealers. They also discuss ‘freecycling or members giving away free of cost any material they do not want to any other group member or non-member.
The consumerism unleashed by India’s economic liberalization in the past three decades has been accompanied by an equivalent rise in waste generation. With the recent surge in eCommerce and food deliveries, the waste generated from homes has increased and added large quantities of non-biodegradable plastic.
While Indian citizens should reduce the waste they generate, they should also focus on giving away materials to others who can use them and recycling. Indian cities have a long way to become cleaner, and one citizen initiative that can drive such change is recycling.
We look forward to making Rustomjee Urbania, a greener community through resident participation in recycling.
If you are a Urbania resident and would like to join the Green Crusaders waste management initiatives, please email Times of Urbania, facilitating your entry into the group.
Great message, Giridharji.
You are giving the right kind of encouragement followed by very interesting and informative writeups.
We need more leaders like you to make our township litterfree and top class in waste management.