While the lockdown is seeing people experiment in the kitchen, a few citizens are experimenting with home composting. Vani Murthy, who started the Swacha Graha initiative which promotes composting at home, said that she has been flooded with requests from citizens for online sessions.
Waste management experts, too, have urged citizens to take up such initiatives to ease the load on pourakarmikas. Reiterating that there is no better time to take up composting, waste management expert N.S. Ramakanth said that waste workers (pourakarmikas) are most susceptible to become carriers. By taking up home composting, the risk posed to both citizens and the pourakarmikas can be minimised. “One doesn’t even need any equipment to start composting. Just an old bucket with some holes and a lid will do,” he said.
It will also help ease the burden on the civic body.
Both Ms. Murthy and Mr. Ramakanth rubbished rumours linking COVID-19 to composting. “The BBMP and the government machinery are doing an excellent job in this fight against the coronavirus . After this, we hope the authorities will continue the fight against the mismanagement of solid waste management with the same zeal and vigour,” said Mr. Ramakanth.
However, many households remain wary and still believe that there is a link between composting and contracting COVID-19. BBMP Joint Commissioner (Solid Waste Management) Sarfaraz Khan told The Hindu that quite a number of citizens had expressed apprehension about taking up home composting. “We tried to dispel this wrong notion,” he said.
Meanwhile, the civic body was doing its bit by keeping the city environs clean to check the spread of infectious and communicable diseases. “We have also started taking up spraying of disinfectants in all public places in all wards,” he added.