Sobha Althea-Azalea: Mandur crisis affects us, but just a little

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Giving back to where it belongs: All the kitchen waste and garden waste is turned into rich organic manure and given back to where it belongs.

Giving back to where it belongs: All the kitchen waste and garden waste is turned into rich organic manure and given back to where it belongs.

Going by the media reports, the Karnataka government certainly doesn’t have a solution in sight for the Mandur landfill crisis. No government wants to drag a reluctant multitude towards a safe future by roiling up the system and suffer the drubbing during elections. Better safe than sorry, right?

Amidst such a sordid state of affairs, I feel immensely proud to congratulate the residents of Sobha Althea-Azalea, Yelahanka, for achieving multiple milestones in just two years.

On this World Environment Day, these are some numbers that iterate the fact it takes just two hands to save this earth. “An ounce of practice is better than tons of theory”, isn’t it?

The score

1. Quantity of dry waste recycled and sent to respective factories as raw material: 100%

2. Quantity of kitchen waste composted and used for our garden: 100%

Scoring a zero isn’t criminal at all!

1. Quantity of chemical pesticides used since last June: ZERO

2. Quantity of synthetic fertilisers used since last June: ZERO

Not exactly a centum, but still…

1. Waste segregation compliance rate since last June (no. of complaints vs. total population): 99%

Here are some pictures of perfectly segregated dry waste.

Miles to go…

1. Sanitary waste: No solution in sight, yet. We tried working with BBMP to help us tie up with a local hospital to send this hazardous for incineration. We have hit a deadend despite repeated efforts.

2. Garden waste composting: Our vermi-composting unit works at full throttle throughout the year. Still, it falls short to process all the garden waste generated.

If not for these two lacuna, we would have scored a 100% everywhere.

I hope you will join me in congratulating Altheans and Azaleans for their silent contribution towards a green future.

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16 thoughts on “Sobha Althea-Azalea: Mandur crisis affects us, but just a little”

  1. Amazing achievement!! Really inspiring. I live in a layout of 200 homes near whitefeild. We have started segregation drive some time back. Hope we also reach this stage some time in the near future. I would love to understand more about the various options you tried out for composting and the results.

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    • Hi Suresh,

      If you have already begun, I don’t think it will take long to reach milestones. In my opinion, it’s hard to halt it once you get going and realise that it doesn’t actually take mind-boggling efforts to keep it running. Initially, yes — like all other systems which need attention to detail. Later, it’s just management.

      Pls do let me know how I can help you with your composting process/knowhow.

      Thanks for writing in, 🙂

      Savita

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  2. So inspiring, Savita!! Kudos to you and your compatriots!! Regarding sanitary waste, I wonder if you checked with the companies SembRamky or Maridi. SembRamky picks up sanitary waste from a couple of buildings in Malleswaram, and Maridi from Jayanagar. Regarding garden waste, I wonder if you’ve seen Vani’s FB posts on composting leaf litter, as advised by her neighbour Ravi Koushik. Here’s the link https://www.facebook.com/vani.murthy/media_set?set=a.10152390963217464.1073741942.719757463&type=3 I’m sure this will take care of all your garden waste, including all the used tender coconuts your building may generate.

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    • Dear Uma,

      Thanks for the encouraging words. As always… 🙂
      I gave up on SembRamky because we cannot store sanitary waste for long due to rodent/snake problems in our complex.
      Leaf litter: All the leaf/flower litter that falls every day is placed back under the plants for mulching. That turns into compost on its own. But the garden pile I am talking about comes from clippings/chopping of bushes and mid-sized trees. That needs to become dry before using for mulching (If I am wrong, please correct me here). But we have no space for drying this entire pile but for a portion of it which is sent to our vermicompost unit.
      I will check Vani’s posts once again. Thanks a lot for the same.

      Good day, 🙂
      Savita

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  4. Any chance you have a write up on various composting options you have considered? I understand you currently have vermi compost and up-grade solution. We are considering Pelrich Byobin option. Any inputs on the viability of this approach? Thanks in advance for your time.

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    • No, Suresh. We haven’t tried Biobin method as Up’Grade is doing a great job for us. Its investment and operational cost is quite low and the process is also quite sustainable.
      I tried traditional pile composting, Vennar methods earlier.

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  6. Savita, please share more about sending recyclables to factories. What factories are these and what is the system for sending them stuff? We do composting of organic waste but have no clear method for tackling recycling of other dry waste. so raddi wala takes papers and bottles and cardboard, rest still goes with the waste picker to a dump. Or some of it, after he maybe takes out some recyclables even from that perhaps.

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