CHENNAI: What could have been a run-of-the-mill school festival took an interesting colour this weekend, as it focussed on the theme of solid waste management (SWM).
‘Kuppai Thiruvizha’, an initiative by the movement, Kuppai Matters, was a two-day event designed to sensitise and expose students to the idea of ‘reduce, reuse, repair, refuse and recycle’.
Groups of students watched with curiosity as they walked through a large display of used plastic bottles mounted on poles and stretched for metres. It made children understand the magnitude of waste we generate.
The auditorium of a private school in Anna Nagar was the venue for the first of 15 ‘Kuppai Thiruvizhas’ to be held in the city. “We will hold this in every corporation ward, and get at least one lakh people to pledge that they will segregate waste,” said Kripa Ramachandran, a member of Citizen Consumer and Civic Action Group (CAG), which is behind this movement.
The Greater Chennai Corporation recently urged all residents to segregate their degradable and non-degradable waste. Kripa, however, argued that the model might not become successful until and unless the collection, incineration and composting were decentralised. “For this process to be decentralised, citizens have to co-operate by segregating their waste regularly. This programme is a step in that direction,” said Kripa.
Apart from sensitising people to the idea of waste segregation, the festival also sold eco-friendly everyday objects.
The fete was lined with stalls selling compost pots, recycled decors, degradable accessories and even reusable sanitary napkins. The event was designed to give participants an opportunity to use affordable, eco-friendly fashion accessories and cutlery.
The two-day festival culminated in a public consultation meeting where children brought along their parents too to learn about managing waste at their homes. Parents and children sought help from various experts on SWM to make their home and community ‘zero-waste’.
“I learned about green dustbins and red dustbins from this festival. I brought my mother also today so that we can separate bio-degradable waste at home,” said A Ahmed, an 11-year-old boy who attended the festival. The ‘Thiruvizha’ was conceived by CAG, Vettiver Collective, Arappor Iyakkam, Pennurimai Iyakkam and Poovulagin Nanbargal. It will happen in more wards over the next few months.
For more details, contact +918939107923 or follow the Facebook page ‘Kuppai Matters.’