With the help of various technologies and resources on segregation, gated communities are learning to manage their waste better. Residents of Jains Green Acres, a gated community in Zamin Pallavaram, have been successfully segregating and composting waste with the help of an an aerobic digester for over a year now.
For the residents, going zero-waste was a collective decision. All the families were on board and pitched in to invest in an aerobic digester.
“In February last year, we bought the first aerobic digester from a Bengaluru-based firm which offers waste management solutions to urban communities. One unit cost a little over ₹63,000 which was paid from the common fund. Once it was set up, all green waste was composted along with layers of coco peat and microbes. In 45 days, we harvested our first compost,” says R. Vidya Sagar, joint secretary, Jains Green Acres Flat Owners’ Association.
Following the successful harvest, the residents pooled in money to buy more aerobic digesters. Since February last year, the residents have set up four such units on their premises. “For us, it was a valuable investment and we take pride in the fact that the amount of waste that goes out of our apartment complex to the landfills is almost nil,” Vidya Sagar adds.
The gated community has plans to buy two more digesters soon. “Jains Acres is a community with over 600 families and hence, the quantum of waste generated will be huge. We harvest about 100 to 150 kg of organic manure every month,” he says.
The generated compost is used for landscaping and gardening. The community also sells the compost to their members at a nominal price of ₹10 per kg, to be used for their kitchen or balcony gardens. For outsiders, it is sold for ₹20 a kg. The gated community has sensitised its residents and housekeeping staff to segregate its non-biodegradable waste such as plastic items and PET bottles and send it to a recycler. Jains Green Acres Flat Owners’ Association can be contacted at 044-22663464.