Digging waste led me to the depths of life. Sounds too dramatic? But surprisingly it is a fact to me. I have never been an environmentalist or an economist. Never understood or even appreciated people who tie themselves to trees or those who protest against so many things, that we mainstream people consider essential. But my first lesson about life came as a hammer blow to my head from a tribal in Madhya Pradesh. He is the biggest spiritual guru I have ever come across.
The second lesson has been more slow, like a nail slowly driven into the deeper crevices of my brain, ever since I assumed charge as Executive Director Suchitwa Mission, the state nodal agency for sanitation. All my lessons can be put in a nutshell as follows. Life or actually “we” cannot go on like this. Change is the only option. The sooner we realize this and accept it without allowing the dominant psychological process of “resistance to change” take over what is truly “you” and “me”, the better. If not for us, at least for our children. We cannot talk about life or economics or environment in its entirety here. Let us just stick to a few aspects of solid waste.
Just rewind your life thirty or forty years back like they do in movies. Was Solid Waste such a big problem then? Did we as a society had to hunt for huge tracts of land, just to dump waste then? Or were the lush green trees and shrubs adorning the roads of Kerala had plastic bags full of stinking dirt in their midst instead of singing birds? Clearly this is a recent phenomenon, new dirty habits replacing our rich simple traditions.
Our traditions valued having less and doing more. But now we want more and do less. Nature also gave back more to us in the form of cancer, infertility and other such grave diseases by doing less in the quality of air, water and food. Life is all about give and take. We get what we give. So if we give out filth, we get back the same too. The earlier we realize this, the better.
Wish the mission can invent a time machine. But it is still a distant reality. But each one of us possesses something as powerful. It is called responsibility. If each one of us uses this, Kerala will be restored to its original status. (No need for such or any other fancy machine, you see).
So let us be more responsible in what we give or rather throw (stealthily in the morning?). Waste is every one’s responsibility. “My waste, My responsibility” is our campaign. This is the first change that is required, people understanding and taking responsibility. More specifically what is expected of the people can be summarized in the following three points.
1. Compost your biodegradables and donate your recyclable
a. Source level composting using pots, buckets bins, rings, bio gas, roof top bins, etc is not only the most environment friendly option but probable the only option for our state and may be other places too in the near future.
b. The unsung environmentalists of India, the humble rag pickers and scrap dealers need our clean and dry recyclables (paper, glass, plastic, metal, e-waste)in order help us protect the environment and, thereby, us. So let us donate our recyclable waste to them in a clean, dry and segregate manner.
2.Do not burn or dump waste. Neither be a silent spectator when someone else does. Heavy metals, Dioxins and Furans released in the process are more potent carcinogens than many other pollutants we have known.
3. Do not litter as littered waste is difficult to recycle.
When the citizens take this much responsibility, it is easier for our government authorities to facilitate effective and eco friendly systems making it a win-win
situation for all.
I can hear you say: “oh who has the time?”. Not having five minutes of your time everyday for waste is like saying “I don’t have time for exercise”. Ultimately we spend more by paying with our health. Unfortunately in this case it might not be your health but your child’s. You have the power in your hands. You decide.
