Working on the ‘Zero Waste’ model, the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) is successfully managing waste in at least five slum areas of the city. The civic body has roped in an NGO for collection, segregation and composting of wastes.
Eyeing on rank one in the cleanliness survey, the NMMC administration is taking every step. Recently, the civic body signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Stri Mukti Sangathan (SMS), an NGO that works to empower women to manage waste in slum areas.
As per the Solid Waste Management Rules, it is mandatory to segregate dry and wet waste at home and put it separately in the municipal waste bins. NMMC with the team of SMS is creating awareness among citizens who collect waste every day in slum areas.
“We have received good response from housing societies and similar steps are being taken by the corporation to segregate dry and wet waste at household and collect it separately in rural and slum areas,” said a senior official from Solid Waste Management department of NMMC. He added that an MoU has been signed with the SMS in this regard. Now, representatives of an NGO collect garbage from households in villages and slums.
The women's team assembles at 7 am and each woman starts collecting waste from 250 houses from 9 am to 9.30 am. “The collected wet waste is being brought to the composting site for further processing. The dry waste mainly mettle is sold to scrape dealer and money collect goes to these women,” said the official.
At present, the SMS is working at Hanuman Nagar and Indiranagar slums in Turbhe ward, Advali Bhutavaligaon in Koparkhairane ward, Samtanagar in Airoli ward and they are getting good response from the residents. Zero waste project is being started in Bindumadhav Nagar and Ganeshnagar in Digha ward in a few days. It is planned to implement this concept in other villages and slums as well.
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