News

Eco Columbans of Delhi, India (a new group formed by Little Eco Friends student) tackles an important waste management project

A Summary of Our Project
Tsunami has hit South-East Asia very hard, and Garbage Tsunami has swept away capital of India, Delhi - with 7000 tonne waste generated daily. An urgent need to educate people was felt by us and Eco Columbans took shape.

We prepared action plan begining with thorough survey and awareness campaign ‘Light...Action....Camera....’ - street plays, nautanki (folk plays), signature campaigns, carnival, setting up compost pits, preparing human chain ....... Eco Cops system and increased awareness among children, parents has improved waste management and brought waste down drastically - A definite step to cleaner Delhi and ‘Zero Waste’ St Columba’s School.

Why The Project Was Done
Easiest way to get to Delhi is to follow your nose - the unfortunate truth with 7000 tonne waste generated daily - 25 tonne by the time you finish reading the project report - expected 17,000 tonne by 2020.

Municipal Corporation of Delhi spends USD 30 million annually for waste management. The money could be more fruitfully utilised for education, health care of poor children. Due to lack of awareness, there is no proper waste management. Households dump garbage at street corners and is transported to landfills - a way of postponing disaster. 90% waste reaching landfills could have been recycled/ put in compost pits.

Greenhouse gases like methane are generated from decomposition of organic waste in landfills. Hidden in waste are hazardous chemicals which reach ground water.

Waste pollutes water we drink, air we breathe and land on which we grow crops. Waste is often left open which becomes breeding ground for diseases with rag pickers being most prone to suffer. Surat plague caused due to improper garbage disposal affected lives of many.

In India, out of 3119 towns and cities, only 200 have partial or complete sewage treatment facilities. Most common form of polybag disposal - burning - causes cancerous toxic fumes. 25-30% of the 60 tonne waste from hospitals is infectious but still we observed callousness in hospital waste management during our survey.

Industrial waste sums up around 200 tonne daily, most of which gets illegally dumped in rivers, polluting life sustaining water, poisoning aquatic life and disturbing food chain. Water borne diseases alone account for 66 % of all illness in India resulting in loss of 73 million man days. The statistics and figures are shocking and there is every possibility that we have a Tsunami on our hand unless waste management issues are taken seriously.

Action Plan
We surveyed 250 houses, our school, a hospital, hotel, shop and recycling unit to understand the problem.

Our campaign ‘Lights...Camera...Action...’ includes:

1. Organising competitions - poster making, writing essays, poems.
2. Organised carnival with stalls on waste management. Banners, posters put up, nautankis (folk dance) performed. Children enjoyed and at same time learnt an important message.
3. Performed street plays at our school, Jhuggis (slums), Government school, few street corners - attracted and educated large crowds.
4. Painted banners emphasising waste management. Children, teachers, parents signed banner, pledging proper waste management.
5.Formed chain of enthusiastic Columbans raising waste management slogans.
6. Held signature campaign - each Columban participated. This created mass awareness - forms basis of our approach to ‘Zero Waste’ school.
7. Regularly speaking on the issue in school assembly.
8. Arranged Environmentalist presentations.
9. Placed box to collect read newspapers and send to recycling units.
10. Old toys, books, clothes are collected for distribution among poor children - way of reusing.
11. Posters put up at notice boards, other places.
12. Visited Jhuggis, performed plays and educated them.
13. Setting up compost pit in school with ‘Toxic Link’ help. Biodegradable waste put in pit. Setting up compost pit in nearby government school.
14. Regular school clean ups taking place under project.
15. Prepared ‘Waste Quiz’ - Students had to submit answers after 5 days enabling them work out right answers discussing among themselves, with parents, browsing books, internet.
16. Introducing Eco Cops - 2 students from each class - monitor to ensure eco-friendly practices in classes.
17. Make pens with old newspaper.
18. Organising workshop encouraging children, parents make various things from waste materials.
19. Participated alongwith NGOs to educate rag pickers and supported them perform street play.
20. Excursions to landfills.
21. Awareness through media.

Signs of Success

Almost all waste of our houses recycled. We use only cloth bags.

Project covered in newspapers

School generates 50 Kg waste daily. Earlier all waste transported to landfills. Now biodegradable waste will be put in compost pits, newspapers, recyclable items sent to recycling units - leading only 5 kg waste to landfills.

Children have become well aware of various waste management aspects, its need and through them parents as observed by less usage of packing material (e.g. tiffin boxes).

In 250 houses surveyed, waste generated reduced to 1/3 ; 60% more houses giving old items to poor (way of recycling), sending newspaper, glass bottles to recycling units.

Slums visited by us - now segregate waste. Biodegradable waste put in compost pits. Earlier waste would lie outside Jhuggis rotting, breeding mosquitoes, diseases. Compost pit - also source of additional income (selling compost as manure). Nearby Jhuggis showing interest in adopting the practices.

Our school to achieve ‘Zero Waste’ status soon.

Government school where we initiated waste management showing encouraging results.

Earned recognition from various NGOs - invited by them to participate in programs.

Biggest success- attitude change of children, parents. Children actively discussing the issue - Pledging Cleaner, Greener World