Most of us dutifully place the garbage bag outside the front door every morning or night and rush back in to line the dustbin with a fresh plastic bag. With this, we think we have done our job with waste disposal and the rest is a headache better dealt by the local municipality. Later in the day, when we see overflowing bins, garbage strewn all over the roads and pavements, we criticise the corrupt bureaucracy without losing an instant. It doesn’t even cross our minds that we too are to be blamed for the sordid state of affairs.

Digest this: According to a study by TERI carried out in April 2009, Bangalore generates 2,500- 3,500 tonnes of solid waste every day, of which residential waste is 363 gm per capita per day. tBBMP spends at least Rs 10 crore a month on garbage disposal, outsourcing nearly two-thirds of its services of collecting and transporting the garbage using at least 400 trucks.

The point is, we can either sit back and continue to fault-find, or take a moment to reflect on the amount of waste we generate and understand how better it can be disposed.

Segregation of waste

Waste can broadly be classified into wet and dry. While wet waste is typically the waste from the kitchen, dry waste includes fused bulbs, blades, old shoes, tooth paste tubes, glassware, empty batteries, etc. Such inorganic waste should be segregated first into recyclable and non-recyclable materials and then disposed appropriately.

Disposal of any waste basically involves controlling the waste generated at source, segregation at source, collection and transportation system, and the final disposal. Here are some guidelines on what to do with different kinds of waste. Remember, it is easier if you spare a moment to understand what a product is made of and how it should be disposed while buying it!

Here are some frequently asked questions on how you can reduce, reuse and recycle.

What can be reused?
What can be recycled? About Plastics. What cannot be recycled?
How to compost?
Need help?
Resources: where to donate? who to call for recycling?

What can be reused?

What is trash for you can be treasure for someone else.

Cloth: Development organisations, orphanages, old-age homes often take clothes that have been used but are in good condition. NGO Goonj takes even torn clothes to make cloth sanitary napkins. But make sure that they are clean and cut neatly into large usable pieces.

Toys: Toybank is an NGO that takes toys in good condition and gifts them to underprivileged children and school libraries.

Books: You could either donate them to various shelters/old age homes in your locality or sell them to second-hand bookstores like Blossoms or Bookworm on Church Street at reduced rates.

Electronic items: Should be in good condition. They can be of use in schools, old age homes etc. Post your items here (Bangalore reuse group).

Glass bottles: Glass must be reused to prevent it from ending up in landfills. Barring beer and soft drink bottles, the rest can be reused at home. You could store spices, pickles, etc., since glass does not react with the food items as plastic does. They could also house your indoor plants.

Paper: Blank-on-one-side papers like discarded printouts can be reused, bound as notepads or donated again to organisations (see table). Small cardboard boxes (biscuits, tea, cereal, etc) can be reused for craft activities with children. If you have no use for them, find local schools that would be able to put it to good use. Recycling these boxes, especially if they are laminated, is a little more difficult since it contains plastic.

In most cases, it is finally about the choice you make. For instance, pause for a moment before you pour tea in yet another plastic cup. Instead carry your own little mug along. Make it a point to use cloth handkerchiefs over paper tissues, cloth nappies over diapers, washable cups instead of disposables.

Try to repair broken stuff before giving up! Items from umbrellas, shoes, bags, to cycles, steel vessels and electrical goods can be fixed, mended, soldered to be usable again. (Though, nowadays it is getting more difficult to find the right cobbler or welder!)

What can be recycled?

Off to the Raddiwala

Your local recycler or Raddiwala will pay you for easy-to-recycle waste, including.

Metals: Iron, aluminium, brass, and copper items.
Paper: Old newspapers, magazines, and corrugated cardboard boxes.
Plastic: Used milk packets and some plastic bottles.

Other recyclables
Aluminium: Coke/Pepsi/ThumsUp lovers - find a way to collect those used cans from your immediate group – at home, office, or other places - and then send it back to their local office (see table). Aluminium foil used for packing food, cigarette and tobacco foil are accepted by Samarthanam which sends it for recycling.

e-Waste: In India, only 3 per cent of the total 3,80,000 tonnes of e-waste makes it to the authorised recycler facilities (source: Greenpeace).  Our city alone is estimated to generate 8,000 tonnes of e-waste annually (source: E-Parisaraa). Look at the resource table for details on where to dispose your e-waste.

Building Material: The Building Materials and Technology Promotion Council has a clear mandate to develop cost-effective, environment-friendly and sustainable building material. While we still have a long way to go with regard to disposal and management of waste from building material, perhaps it would be good to learn from a joint initiative of an NGO in Maharashtra -YUVA - and CIDCO - that converts debris to building material.

Vinita, a resident of Frazer Town is trying to adopt environmentally-sensitive alternatives in her day-to-day activities and realises it doesn't need to be complex.

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