Page 22 - Plastics News March 2020

FeAtures

“Abartani” – A project on integrated waste management in Kolkata

A first of its kind initiative in Solid Waste Management in Kolkata that engages under privileged women to
recycle and produce ready to use products made of solid waste.

n a bid to reduce carbon footprint and empower waste segregation at source and recycling the waste
Imarginalized section of women, "I Am Kolkata", founded into environmentally friendly products thus reducing a
by Saket Mohta, a young entrepreneur, has embarked on a portion of carbon footprint from the environment. Proper
project on integrated waste management in collaboration segregation reduces the amount of waste going to landfills
with Kolkata Society for Cultural Heritage, a social while the dry waste collected provides raw materials for
enterprise. Christened "Abartani" (where the waste upcycled products. We also identified 50 self-help group
is nothing),the project is the first of kind initiative in women and will train them to produce recycled products
Solid Waste Management in Kolkata that engages under from waste and therefore helping them to become
self-reliant.”

Howrah Municipal Corporation

(HMC) hosts a day-long conclave

iming to ensure regular disposal of solid waste
Aand better management of the same, the Howrah
Municipal Corporation (HMC) hosted a day-long conclave
to create awareness among residents, schoolchildren
and sanitation workers. This comes within two days
after the state-level review meeting on "Mission
privileged women to recycle and produce ready to use Nirmal Bangla" and the vector-borne disease control
products made of solid waste.
programme organised by the state Urban Development
The project has been initiated at AA Block, New Town and Municipal Affairs department held at Biswa Bangla
involving hundreds of residents from the community Convention Centre on Thursday. While addressing
with their due consent. The project involves urban and the review meeting, Firhad Hakim, minister of the
rural communities, creating a link between the two department, urged representatives of all civic bodies
communities whereby the residents of urban community to take necessary measures to ensure regular disposal
at AA Block, New Town are donating solid waste material of solid waste as the scarcity of vacant land to dump
to the Self Help Groups hailing from rural area and these the same has emerged as a major problem in the urban
Self Help Group women are getting trained to produce areas. HMC has organised the "Conclave on Solid Waste
and recycle products which will be directly linked to the Management" as part of the Mission Clean and Green
market. Thus I Am Kolkata aims at creating a sustainable Howrah at Sarat Sadan. The event that was categorised
model by which an alternative livelihood will be generated into four segments, including a technical session and a
for self-help group women who are below poverty line . poster designing competition. Creating awareness on
At a formal function at Nazrul Tirtha Auditorium, Shri what should be done for easy disposal of solid waste
Debasish Sen, IAS, Chairman & Managing Director of management while through poster competition, school-
HIDCO and Niraj Singhal, IFS, Chief Environment Officer, goers can also be part of the awareness campaign of
Govt of West Bengal inaugurated the project along with the same. Bijin Krishna, Commissioner of HMC, said:
Saket Mohta, Founder of I Am Kolkata, CSR initiative of "The conclave is being organised to create awareness
Merlin Group and Sourav Mukherjee, President, Kolkata so that segregated waste can be collected in the first
Society for Cultural Heritage. Commenting on the go itself." Subrata Gupta, Principal Secretary of Urban
initiative, Shri Saket Mohta said, "Through this initiative, Development and Municipal Affairs department and
we are promoting awareness about the importance of Rajesh Kumar, Member Secretary of the West Bengal
Pollution Control Board also attended the conclave.
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