A model for communities in Thalambur to follow

After considerable progress in composting wet waste, this 290-unit community is now setting a benchmark in the management of dry waste

Eight years ago, when people started investing in housing projects in Thalambur, poor waste management practices was a source of irritation for residents. Instead of blaming just blaming the local civic body, a small group of residents from Casa Grande Pavilion, one of the first villa-and-row house projects in Thalambur, decided to be the change. They started adopting waste management practices in their backyard, and today they are a model for many other communities in Thalambur.

From having taken great strides in composting the biodegradable waste generated by the 290-odd families in the 18-acre community, they are now marching ahead to set new benchmarks in the management of dry waste.

Six months ago, the management committee members of Casa Grande Pavilion Owners Association tied up with Spreco Recycling Pvt. Ltd. to handle the recyclable waste generated by the community.

Until then conservancy workers from the Thalambur village panchayat and neighbourhood kabbadiwals were picking up the dry waste generated in the community.

They realised that certain plastic wastes and glass bottles were not picked up or ended up at the local landfill.

“Our focus this year is on how to better manage dry waste and prevent it from going to the panchayat’s landfill, so we spoke to multiple vendors to help us dispose of such waste more responsibly,” says S. Kannan, secretary, Casa Grande Pavilion Owners Association.

Currently, more than 70% of the sorted dry waste (cartons, thermacol, ewaste and plastic) is collected from the community by the vendor. “A small percentage still goes to the local landfill and we are trying to figure out how this percentage can be brought down,” says Kannan.

The waste management journey in this community has been slow but steady with many ups and downs, thanks to floods, the pandemic and the operational expenses the Association incurs every year to keep the compost yard up and running. The yard was carved out of the park more than six years ago with three Aaga bins. Today, it has 10 Aaga bins and 10 cement concrete rings that are used to compost the 75-100 kg of biodegradable waste generated by the community.

“Every year, we make some improvements. When Aaga bins got expensive we moved to cement rings; we studied the panchayat’s cement ring and improved upon it,” says Kannan, who moved in to the community in 2016.

The green volunteers have been offering their best efforts to keep the yard running.

Srimathi Kumaraswamy, an active resident who has been leading green initiatives, says she learnt about composting as an anti-plastic volunteer with Chennai Trekking Club. “Through a step-by-step process, one that entailed conducting training sessions for residents, managers and house-keeping staff helped build the initial momentum,” says Srimathi. This was followed up with campaigns by children and volunteers. “We had some professional help, but we did not have enough budget. Now we have mastered the art of composting within our budget,” says Srimathi.

Now, every new resident moving to the villa community is given a pamphlet that explains the waste management practices being followed there.

Published - September 21, 2024 08:46 pm IST