Where garbage doesn’t go waste

Mamallapuram residents are setting up a shining example in waste management, with 70% of the inhabitants segregating their garbage. Close to 80% of the garbage is recycled, thanks to combined efforts of the residents, town panchayat and an NGO, Hand In Hand India. 

V Parisutham, Project Director — Solid Waste Management, Hand In Hand India, said that they had implemented a system, which has resulted in 80% of the garbage being recycled. “We distributed two bins and a bag – green bin for organic waste, black for nonrecyclable waste and white bag for plastic and paper waste that can be recycled. Every day, our workforce collects this garbage, deposits in the respective bins, which are then taken to be recycled. This way, close to 80% of the waste collected is recycled. The system has been working well for the past year and close to 70% of Mamallapuram residents are segregating their own waste,” he said. 

Working closely with the town panchayat, Parisutham said that the residents were willing to cooperate. “We were not sure if our system will work. But once we approached the residents, 90% of them were willing to cooperate and start segregating their own garbage. We have removed many dustbins on the streets, so that people don’t dump garbage indiscriminately,” he said, adding that their biggest challenge was to ensure that the visitors to this UNESCO heritage site don’t litter. “We want to get the remaining 30% of the residents to segregate their waste. But managing the areas, where the floating population is high, is difficult as people don’t follow rules,” he revealed. 

Thomas, an assistant coordinator with the organisation, said that food waste, which makes a huge part of the trash, is collected and disposed effectively. “On an average, 3 metric tons (MT) of waste is collected every day from hotels across Mamallapuram. A 100 cu.m bio-methanation plant has been set up, which can convert 500-800 kgs of food waste to methane, which is then converted to energy,” he added. 

Prem Anand, a restaurantowner from Mamallapuram, said that he finds this system very convenient. “Every day, the trucks come and collect the food waste. There are so many restaurants in Mamallapuram and if this system is followed consistently, we can reduce garbage problems,” he said.