Page 60 - Plastics News April 2019

in the news

Delhi gears up to set up ‘model In Bengaluru, an open source

wards’ that manage waste the best platform to sort garbage

rom setting up composting machines and segregation of ndian IT giant Mindtree has developed an app,
Fhousehold waste to setting up of rainwater harvesting Icalled “I Got Garbage” (IGG) that helps sort garbage
systems, various wards in the five civic bodies of Delhi are using a QR code. The app helps weigh each type of
gearing up to become ‘model wards’. At least 12 municipal waste (wet, dry, rejects) on a digital scale and one
wards in the civic bodies of East, South, North, New Delhi needs to enter the weight information on a mobile
and the Delhi Cantonment have been identified to be application. It analyses the
declared as model areas. The initiative was taken after the data in order to determine
National Green Tribunal (NGT) in its order on compliance the weight of each sub-
of municipal solid waste management rules had directed category of waste. With
on March 11 that all five urban local bodies identify and this information, companies
declare one area under their jurisdiction as a model area can draw up plans for waste
to highlight the correct management of municipal solid reduction in particular
waste, plastic, biomedical waste and other waste.South streams, such as wet or dry
MCD has identified RK Puram, Andrews Ganj and Janakpuri waste, plastic waste and
South as model wards, while east MCD has identified construction debris. The
Yamuna Vihar, Mayur Vihar Phase-I and Anand Vihar. platform is available free
of charge.
“We have already installed a composting machine in our
ward, which would cater to at least eight residential Waste pickers can use it,
colonies. Pamphlets have been distributed among also other people who want
households on how to segregate waste and what could be to scale up the value chain can use it and benefit from
the penalty imposed if the waste is not segregated. Each it as well.Since 2018, the app has been deployed in
household has been given at least two bins – blue and seven cities across India. Today, as many as 16 partners
green. At least 3,500 such bin sets have been distributed. —mostly non-profits— work with IGG in these cities.
The municipal corporation’s garbage collectors are also It has helped transform the lives of nearly 10,000 rag
being trained,” Gunjan Gupta, councillor of Anand Vihar, pickers and scrap dealers previously working in the
said. In south MCD, the councillor of Janakpuri South informal sector, with some now managing their own
said apart from setting up composting machines and micro businesses. Over the years, these rag pickers
and scrap dealers have been able to recycle 52 million
kg of solid waste and compost roughly 127 million kg
of organic waste thanks to the app, thus preventing
212 million kg of waste from ending up in landfills.
It takes a highly integrated approach, with factors
such as technology, infrastructure, delivery models,
community engagement and governance playing vital
roles. The project implementation includes solid
waste management master planning, programme
management, municipalities building capacity,
distributing bins to households, rainwater harvesting community engagement and creation of a replicable
systems have also been set up in parks. At least 3,000 zero waste model at the level of a municipal ward.
houses in the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) area are IoT enabled applications are effectively improving
segregating their waste and are producing compost from the waste management operations. Pre-defined
kitchen waste. NDMC is gradually phasing out roadside routes, outdated methods of waste collection are
bins and installing underground bins which are covered increasingly being replaced with sensor-enabled bins
and have a hydraulic system. and sophisticated waste management applications.

Plastics News April 2019 60