BENGALURU: On Friday, several residents of Kadu Malleshwara ward were feted by the city corporation for their initiative in segregating waste at the source.
Rahamathulla Khan, the ward’s BBMP health inspector, said, thanks to citizens’ efforts, waste 70 per cent of the waste from here is segregated, at an event to mark Good Governance Day.
“We expect it to get better in the coming day,” he said.
For their part, the authorities have distributed pamphlets, made announcements in autos and instructed paurakarmikas to refuse to collect waste if unsegregated.
As a result, most residents segregate the waste they generate, and say it does not involve much extra effort.
Express spoke to a few.
Vittal Rao, a civil contractor and a resident of Aramane Nagar ward, Malleshwaram constituency, said his family of five has adopted segregation at source much before it was mandated by an Act.
“We have separate bins for wet and dry waste. If you dunp the waste in the appropriate bin, you don’t spend any extra time segregating it,” he said.
His three children, studying in school, ensure friends and relatives who come visiting learn of the segregation system, he said.
“We have noticed that if waste, it begins the smelling in a day. If it’s segregated, it doesn’t smell as much.”
Smitha Maiyya, a homemaker and resident of Subramanyanagar, also said segregating waste has proved less tedious than she and her family expected -- her husband, parents-in-law and two kids adapted to the system quite easily.
“We have bin inside the kitchen, where all wet waste, including fruits and vegetables, tea power, or stale rice, is dumped. We put all plastic covers, cardboard boxes, tins and paper in a bag our maid takes with her once in two days,” she said. “Our maid takes some dry waste, like milk sachets and tins, once in two days. This means we give less dry waste to the pourakarmikas.”
Druthi Nagesh, a social activist from Gayathrinagar ward, has improvised to add one more classification in addition to wet and dry waste: rejected waste. This includes “waste like hair, diapers, syringes and sanitary napkins” that goes into a separate bin.
Union Minister D V Sadananda Gowda, Malleswaram MLA C N Ashwathnarayana and councillors of seven wards in the constituency were also present.