Neighbourhoods in Hyderabad are leading the way in adapting green practices, in order to curb the much incumbent Solid Waste Management (SWM) issue in the city. Households across different societies in Hyderabad are taking steps towards waste segregation at source, proper garbage composting and building zero waste colonies, thus spearheading the Swachh Bharat Mission in their individual capacities.
Two RWAs from the city have also been nominated by the city municipals, to be felicitated by the Ministry of Urban Development for the efforts put up by them in building green societies.
The Methodist Colony Welfare Association in Begumpet, headed by retired army personnel and renowned environmental activist Major Shiva Kiran, apart from achieving 100 % door to door garbage collection in the locality, have also initiated source segregation and decentralized composting within the society premises. The colony has built a mechanism through which waste cartons are recycled into exam pads, stationary, wooden articles, particle boards and more. Additionally, the colony has always been known for taking up green practices such as rain water harvesting, banning plastic bags, and holding weekly Swachh Bharat and Parichayam activities to get residents involved and excited.
In a similar move, residents of Siddhartha Nagar have even setup their own infrastructure in order to convert waste into resources everyday, eliminating the need to install a separate biogas plant. They make sure that the wet waste collected is composted and used as manure for gardening in the locality. Kalyannagar too is putting up efforts to maintain parks, building community toilets and hosting community events to encourage citizens to adopt Zero Waste practices.
Hyderabad generates nearly 4,000 tonnes of waste daily. Of this, only 30 per cent is being recycled, as segregation of waste at source still remains a major challenge. Lack of awareness, improper waste management, and dumping without segregating results in improper usage of waste. Many individuals and resident welfare associations, at the local and community levels are initiating measures to reuse the waste in a bid to become zero-waste households. (INN)