Category: Miscellaneous

27 May 2024 17:50

Joined:	20/04/2018
Level:	Gold
Points:	55757

Points:	5

These people deserve maximum support from society

In the small town called Sholinghur in North Tamil Nadu, where I worked for a living and then built a house of my own, there is a very good scheme where the sanitary workers collect the waste materials from each house and then take it to a particular designated godown where the plastic materials are removed and all other materials are converted into agricultural manure through a process of gradual decay. Am told some materials are added but these are not chemicals.

The entire small town is divided into several zones and the ladies are provided uniform and huge gloves that protect them from any infection. One is told that they are paid a monthly salary of Rs9000 for their hard work. The collection happens almost every day.

Such sanitary workers who protect the environment and keep the town somewhat clean deserve all support. It is also sad that in public places, people just do not care and dump so much of waste. These sanitary workers try to collect as much as possible, but the work is very tedious.

Greed and indifference to public health are two causes. Even for the slightest purchase, the people demand the plastic covers and the hapless traders oblige.

Try as hard as I might, or as some others like me, we are unable to do anything in this respect. In the meanwhile, we need to support the sanitary workers to the maximum extent possible.

It is also good that the agricultural manure is sold for just Rs5, a portion of which reportedly goes to pay them their salaries.

#779622

27 May 2024 19:06

Joined:	02/01/2012
Level:	Gold
Points:	51633

Points:	5

I think almost all the states have undertaken such projects in one way or the other. The projects being undertaken across the country under the MNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Act) scheme under the Ministry of Rural Development, Govt of India, provides for hundred days of guaranteed wage employment to unemployed men and women above eighteen years and is residing in a rural area. Among many other projects undertaken, clearing and cleaning of public roads, drains and open areas also form part of works assigned to them.

The project Kudumbasree Mission, a network of self- help groups in Kerala has been appreciated across the country and has been adopted by many foreign nations as well. They have different programs including cleaning of public areas and collection and disposal of waste materials in Panchayat areas etc.

Local self-government in many states have employed women and may be men also from the financially weak sections of the society to collect garbage from houses as part of the waste management programs. Recently it has been made mandatory for those constructing a house in Kerala to take membership of the program by paying a fee so as to ensure proper disposal of garbage.

Such initiatives are good in two ways, firstly accumulation of wastes, of almost all types, can be avoided and proper disposal and recycling can be ensured and secondly, it generates employment to number of women, and they become self-reliant.

I agree with the author that we should treat them with due respect and must support them by keeping the waste materials clean and ready so that they need not wait at our doorsteps and by not throwing the waste here and there carelessly. I don't think we should encourage them by paying some money etc. but we can reciprocate by making them part of private functions at home like housewarming, marriage etc. and it won't be wrong to give them some gifts on such special occasions.

'Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all'.
-Aristotle

#779623

27 May 2024 19:25

Joined:	02/06/2009
Level:	Diamond
Points:	145594

Points:	5

In the State of Telangana, the government has given two containers to each house. One is for wet waste and the other is for dry waste. Every day a van will come and collect these wastes from each house and send them for further treatment. In Andhra Pradesh, in our village, every day one person with a cart will come to each house and collect the waste and send it to a processing plant in a nearby town. In our house daily in the morning, our servant maid keeps these containers near our gate so that the waste collection persons need not wait to receive them. That way as mentioned by Saji Ganesh, these practices are there in many States. I agree with Saji that we should not pay money but if we have some excess food that can be offered. We can ask them to eat in our house when there is a get-together in our house.
As responsible citizens of the country, we have to follow all procedures to protect the environment.

drrao
always confident

#779634

28 May 2024 06:28

Joined:	10/12/2016
Level:	Diamond
Points:	109183

Points:	5

A nice thought by the author. This type of scheme is already in progress in many places in our country and many municipalities are having garbage treatment plants and a lot of garbage is treated every day.
The people who are engaged in this work, picking the garbage, segregating it, and taking it to the plants are doing a great service for a small return. These people are in an unorganised sector and do not have any facilities. On the other hand the persons employed by municipalities are getting some salary ranging from Rs 12000 to 15000. They are also getting handling equipments, dress, etc.

Citizens have a great role in this because if they segregate the garbage at the house level itself then these workers or rag pickers will have it easy to take it to the garbage disposal units or vendors collecting the dry waste.
In our country only a small part of garbage is treated or recycled and rest goes to land filling or making heaps outside the town. A lot of work is needed to make improvement in this area and the only solution is to treat the garbage in the area where it is generated instead of sending it to landfill or other disposal methods. It is a huge task and requires cooperation of each and every citizen.

Knowledge is power.

#779646

28 May 2024 14:16

Joined:	20/01/2017
Level:	Diamond
Points:	25422

Points:	5

Garbage collection, segregation, treatment, and recycling is a process through which garbage management can be done. In many places in our country such practices are in operation and a good amount of garbage gets treated. The author of this post has mentioned one such effort being done in his area.
If we see the amount of garbage being generated in our country then efforts of garbage management are not to that degree and more efforts and facilities are to be created for this important work. The remunerations for this work are also low and many unemployed people opt for this job as a last resort.
Due to the modern style of living everything comes in a package and a lot of garbage is generated just while unpacking the items. People use drinking water and throw the empty bottles here and there. In any area where roadside eateries are there, waste bins are not available and even if it is available they are filled upto the rim and the waste is scattered all around. People do not want to walk a little for throwing these waste materials in the nearest municipal bin and just dump it wherever they want. We do not teach our children this thing and they never learn this in life. Result is that everywhere garbage is scattered and we expect that a handful of municipal workers sweep that every morning in the length and width of the town. Until we educate ourselves this burning problem is not going to be resolved.

Thoughts exchanged is knowledge gained.

These people deserve maximum support from society

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