At a time when our city is aching under the mask of a garbage crisis, youngsters from across the city seem to be taking things in their stride, all set to give a new lease of life to the city. Recent, waste generation reports claim that it has pretty much gone out of control as the data from the Central Pollution Control Board shows a whopping surge of 117 per cent in waste generation with as much as 3,700 tonnes of waste produced per day. While that is not something the ordinary oorean can address, these youngsters are trying to find their own balance, closer home. A crisis the city seems pretty helpless about, we asked some proactive youngsters about how they deal with waste generation and management in innovative ways.
But first, something we can also use. ‘There is no problem in nature that cannot be solved,” says Richard Gomes, a 26-year-old who is taking waste management to a whole new level with his research on using microbes in tackling the garbage crisis. Richard, who is a graduate in engineering (biotechnology) is experimenting on using thermocol-eating mealworms to curb the catastrophic that’s staring our Garden City in the face.
In the wake of BBMP recently popping up a question on ‘whether thermocol is the new plastic in town?’, Richard’s experiment could be a trailblazer. “E-commerce, logistics, delivery services and the start-up culture has witnessed a drastic surge in the past few years. This in turn has increased the production of thermocol waste and the project on mealworms is sure to be an effective solution,’’ he hopes.
There are those like 24-year-old advocate Amith Amarnath, who feels spot fixing is the best way to save the city. “We are into spot fixing wherein we identify garbage prone areas and clean it up, paint it with artistic and appealing designs, install benches and a CCTV camera, and request the residents not to dump garbage at such spots after we have cleaned them,’’ Amit says.
He is a part of a 1,200 member organisation Youth For Parivarthan, which has undertaken 108 spot-fixes to date, and has been working closely with the BBMP to eliminate black spots in the city. Our motto is “Stop complaining, start acting” instead of only complaining and ranting that the authorities have failed and they are incapable,’’ he adds.
For the ordinary person, a personal change can also go a long way, Thara Nandikkara, a 28-year-old, who works as a subtitler, thinks that garbage control and management starts by reducing waste generation, effectively from our daily use objects. “Things like milk and groceries are bought and used daily. I choose to buy milk that comes in paper cartons instead of the ones in plastic covers. I ensure I carry my jute shopping bag every time I visit the grocery shop too,’’ said Thara.
MT Mahesh Gowda, a small-scale businessman too has been contributing to waste management by taking part in a ‘Cleanathon’ drive conducted by a political party. Hundreds of youngsters join the drive conducted twice a month. “During the drive, we make sure we chose a public space — park, government hospital premise or police station and work together in cleaning up the litter. This drive is conducted across Karnataka”, said Mahesh.
