GHMC plans segregation of garbage right from households

The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, with the help of big corporate sectors, is taking up segregation of the garbage waste right from the households.

The GHMC is the first civic body in the country taking up such an innovative scheme involving the corporate sectors under corporate social responsibility to ensure effective implementation of segregation of dry and wet waste. WOW initiative (Wellbeing Out of Waste) is to improve the living conditions of the twin cities with pollution-free environment and also to inculcate the habit of source segregation of waste into wet and dry among the citizens of the twin cities.

For the this novel scheme, the GHMC is going to convene a meeting to create awareness about the segregation and as well as Swachh Sarvekshan inviting top celebrities like Sachin Tendulkar, K. Kavitha, P.V. Sindhu, P. Gopichand, V.V.S Laxman, Suddala Ashok Teja, cine actor Ram, Manchu Laxmi, Tamanna and so on.

The program will be taken up under the guidance of  MA&UD Minister K.T. Rama Rao on Friday at L.B. Stadium around 3pm where the Mayor,  Deputy Mayor, MPs, MLAs, MLCs, Corporators, Ward Members, Public Representatives, NGOs, Residential Welfare Associations, Big Corporate Companies, various educational institutions will participate in the awareness program.

To ensure successful implementation of the WOW Initiative, the GHMC has planned the program in a systematic way. First, door-to-door campaign was conducted by Resource Persons (RPs)/Propagation Executives to create awareness among the people about the concept of source segregation—separating the dry and wet waste at the household level and explaining its benefits. Resource Persons also demonstrated how to segregate the dry and wet waste and each house hold was given a flyer and a bag to collect the recyclables. Follow up was done twice to ensure that the household practiced source segregation. Waste Collectors are also trained on systematic and segregated waste collection and bring to the Dry resource collection Centres (DRCC) and sell the dry recyclable waste, thereby earn additional income and ensure source segregation among the households. The DRCCs are operated by Self Help Groups and also deploy rag pickers for handling the dry recyclables for value addition.

The wet waste can be converted into compost and supply to the farmers. Thereby we can achieve Zero Waste.The waste collectors were trained in the collection of wet and dry waste separately and bringing the dry waste to the DRCCs and selling them at better prices. To involve and give the ownership of the program to the members of the community, self-help groups were trained and entrusted with the management of DRCCs. They were trained in buying, sorting, baling, loading, transportation and selling the dry resource like paper, plastic, metal, glass and other recyclables. (NSS)