msw

Though he is one of the most important citizen of Bengaluru, the Mayor, is no different from any of us. B S Satyanarayana seems to be working on many things at a time - garbage, potholes and others. Citizen Matters caught up with him to know his views - particularly on garbage. Mayor Satyanarayana inspecting the cleaning and roadwork near K R Market on Sunday Pic: BBMP PRO What do think the term of the mayor should be? Do you agree with the proposal for a five- year term directly elected mayor? Do you need more powers to do your…

Having spent the last couple of months speaking to the residents of Sadashivanagar, convincing them to begin segregating their garbage, I once again joined the pourakarmikas on their Saturday dry-waste collection drive to note what impact my efforts had on apathetic residents, and to adjudge how much more I would have to do to help realise the dream of 100% collection.  The pourakarmikas – who by now had grown accustomed to my company – greeted me with smiles and waves. They informed me that the drive would start a few minutes late due to the early-morning rain which had dampened…

Solid Waste Management Round Table (SWLRT) is reviving their online SWM Green Map of Bangalore. They seek your help in this initiative. The Solid Waste Management Round Table is a group of like-minded organisations and highly skilled individuals who work to build awareness and promote the adoption of best practices in waste management at houses, apartment complexes, schools/colleges and public offices. The Group is currently updating the Green Map (see more at swmrt.com). Do you know of apartments / localities / commercial establishments that segregate waste? Please help us in developing our map and fill in the form below (click on the…

As a part of my work with SadaZero, I was to accompany the pourakarmikas on their Saturday dry-waste collection routine. I had to note down the houses who weren’t following the segregation protocol, and subsequently make an attempt to “convert” them, the latter being a herculean task as mindsets are extremely difficult to change. Sadazero is a voluntary, community organisation, aiming at 100% waste segregation, and making Sadashivanagar a model neighbourhood for the rest of Bengaluru, with whom I have intermittently worked with over the past three years. We rendezvoused at the collection point at 11 am and the drive…

In spite of the new rules introduced by Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to address the issue of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW), Bangalore continues to be plagued by the problem of uncollected waste in the neighbourhoods. The rules instruct the citizens to segregate waste, but they do not deal with the burgeoning quantities of solid waste generated. More rich you are, more waste you produce! A research carried out by the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) in the field of behavioural economics has shown that the per capita generation of MSW is directly proportional to affluence and consumption patterns of…