How to manage waste? Ward 30 to show the way

Gurgaon: Residents of ward number 30 have decided to start a project to map the amount and type of waste a house is generating. With help from MCG, the residents, led by the local councillor, also plan to dispose of the waste collected from around 20 housing societies at the ward level itself.
Mahesh Dayma, the councillor of ward 30, said that if the project was successful, it could be implemented across the city to decentralise the waste processing and management. Areas covered by ward 30 include sectors 55, 56, some parts of Sector 57, Jalvayu Towers, Kendriya Vihar, Gwal Pahari, Bandhwari, Baliyawas etc.
“Waste mapping is to know how much trash our households and commercial units are producing. It will also determine the type of waste we are generating. To begin with, we will start it on a small scale in our ward. We also plan to set up a ward-level resource recovery so that the garbage is managed here itself. For this, we will have to identify a piece of land with help from the MCG. After a space is allotted, we can start the project,” said Dayma.
A group of residents met the councillor on Wednesday and submitted a plan on how they would map the waste and dispose of it. The residents said they had discussed the need to treat and manage waste as a resource. Landfill fires causing air pollution in the city were also discussed at the meeting.
“We want our waste handled in a manner which is least harmful to our health and the overall environment. It should not be just dumped in a landfill to be burnt or to decay and damage the ecosystem. In order to achieve this goal, scientific mapping of the municipal waste generated in a particular area is a basic prerequisite for resource management. It will help the ward councillor understand the type and stream of solid waste generated at the ward level so that proper capacity planning for recovery of waste can be implemented in keeping with the Solid Waste Management And Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016,” said Ruchika Sethi Takkar, founder of Why Waste Your Waste, an outfit.