Managing your waste

  • Each of us can contribute to a cleaner environment and a reduction in global warming by taking the small steps described in this section and convincing our families and friends to do the same.
    • Treat public spaces as we treat our homes...
      • Make it a habit to use dustbins.
      • If you see someone littering, approach them politely to ask them not to litter.
    • Apply the 3 ‘R’s – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle in your own home, office, shop or hotel.

    REDUCE
    • When buying goods, choose the most durable even if one has to pay a little more
    • Buy refills whenever possible and reuse containers.
    • Avoid bottled water, canned food and drinks, take-aways.
    • Always carry a cloth bag with you and say ‘no’ to plastic carry bags.
    • Use lunch boxes rather than Styrofoam or aluminium foil packaging for food that has to be taken to school or office.
    • For parties or wedding receptions, use plates and glasses that can be washed or use biodegradable ones (These are available on-line at Ecoware or ArecaGoodPlates or Earthwear).
    • Ladies, opt for ecological menstrual products. There is a little known and cheaper alternative to disposable sanitary pads or tampons. The SheCup! Adopting it means getting rid of that monthly plastic that is an eyesore in our litter bins and dump sites and a health hazard for waste pickers and animals... Read more.
      Buy one here for less than Rs. 300 – much cheaper than 12 packets of sanitary napkins and much less garbage!

    REUSE
    • Reuse plastic bags, aluminium foil, cheese tins, dahi containers, etc.
    • Repair instead of throwing away.
    • Give away clothes you no longer use to Goonj. They have six clothes collection centres in Uttarakhand.
    • At Divali time, organise sales of second-hand items at throw away prices in your neighbourhood

    RECYCLE
    • Waste loses its value when mixed – segregate your waste into three - Compostable, Recyclable and Insanitary.

      • Wet
      (Compostable)

      Vegetable and fruit peels, tea leaves, coffee grounds, left-over food, dairy products, egg shells, meat, fish, garden waste
      Dry
      (Recyclable)

      Dry (Recyclable) Plastic, paper, carton, glass pieces and bottles, shoes, iron, aluminium foil, blades, tins, bulbs, batteries, e-waste
      Dirty
      (For incineration)

      House sweepings, hair, nails, babies’ diapers, pads, bandages, tissues, medicines, laminates (plastic and aluminium stuck together like chip and pan packets), condoms, etc

    • Compost your wet waste – this reduces the waste you throw away by 60% and produces much needed organic matter for the soil.
      A few methods are described in the next section under Composting and Recycling.