NEW DELHI: When two people were killed in the Ghazipur landfill collapse, it left a deep impact on two schoolchildren who took it upon themselves to do their bit for waste management in their locality.
Brothers Vihaan (14) and Nav (11) Agarwal have begun a project which they call as ‘Zero Waste Project’ from their home in Vasant Vihar. As a part of the project, the duo has rope in some recycling companies for waste management. “We urge the people to segregate waste so that the waste can be recycled. Also, it helps stakeholders to earn money from recycling companies for their efforts,” Vihaan said.
Today, the experiment covers about 350 houses in Vasant Vihar, Shanti Niketan, West Enclave and Anand Niketan. “In December 2017, there was an accident at the Ghazipur dumping yard. The death of two people just because waste is not managed properly, was very disheartening. That is when we decided to do something to manage waste in our city,” Nav said.
Garbage has been divided into four broad categories - wet, dry, sanitary and hazardous household waste. Emphasis is laid at segregation of waste, right at individual level in homes. Those volunteering or taking part in this project is taught about segregation of waste as, the brothers claim, is the very basis of recycling. Training sessions are held on requests of a local community interested in helping the cause of a clean environment.
Only 20 per cent of all the garbage is non-recyclable in Vasant Vihar, Nav said.
The remaining recyclable garbage is taken care of by companies which are involved in this unique exercise. Moreover, there is also an option of door to door pick-up facility to collect waste. In return, each household gets `250 a month.
The brothers now plan to expand their project to Choti Nagal and Badi Nangal villages in Rajasthan and Chhatarpur area in Delhi.
Vihaan and his brother plan to use the money generated from the project to build schools and hospitals in rural areas. For now, they have started an NGO ‘One Step Greener’ for their bit to the cause of clean environment.
Why recycle?
Recycling of metal saves up to 95% of natural resources. Recycling 1,000 kgs of paper saves 250 pounds of CO2 whereas burning it would produce 1500 pounds of CO2