VISAKHAPATNAM: In an effort to encourage source segregation of waste and to process the organic waste into manure, people are being sensitised on the benefits of segregating the waste.
The Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) are being encouraged by the civic authorities on a regular basis so that source segregation starts from every household and community.
While a few active RWAs have already taken the initiative to segregate the biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste, there are many areas which need awareness to contribute towards separating dry and wet waste. Since the amount of wet waste generated near the vegetable markets is high, the civic authorities are planning to introduce organic waste converters (OWC) and demonstrate its effective utilisation at the rythu bazaars.
According to GVMC commissioner M Hari Narayanan, “In a bid to demonstrate the processing of organic waste, as many as six OWCs are expected to be installed in rythu bazaars in various areas and in Poorna Market.
The tender process has been completed and we have received one OWC which will soon be installed. We have taken the initiative to set up one near the vegetable markets because many people can watch the procedure and make use of the facility. Around 100-300 kg of waste can be composted at a time by processing biodegradable waste,” he added.
Latha, an environmentalist, said, “I have been promoting the use of terracotta pots in my locality by procuring them from Hyderabad. The initiative has helped us in reducing the amount of waste and use the processed compost as manure for our plants in garden.”
What are OWCs?
An organic waste converter is a decentralised waste management system and easy to use technique to turn large amounts of organic waste such as kitchen waste, garden waste, food processing waste and etc into compost. The system is designed to eliminate odour and also to remove the problem of irritants such as flies and rats.