Beyond the Bin Civic activism in waste management
[Music]
in 2008
i had moved into a new home in a new
neighborhood
very close to my house was an empty site
that was used to dub
garbage it was an ugly sight and a
stinky mess
my first encounter with the issue of
waste
so close at hand i had three choices
ignore complain or engage
i chose to engage as i believe to solve
the waste challenges
a social and behavioral change is
required
and that can happen only with engaged
citizens
my journey as an engaged citizen started
over a decade ago when i joined the
volunteer group
in my area it’s here i learned
about segregation of waste composting or
waste and reduction of waste
segregation at source and composting at
home
a practice that i started then continues
till date in fact it has become a way of
life
over the next couple of years my
involvement with waste management
moved beyond my community to a wider
circle
and around 2014 i became part of solid
waste management
roundtable a city level collective of
passionate waste management
practitioners
volunteering in the space i’ve had the
opportunity
to observe and meet many different
change makers
individuals who are self-motivated or
inspired by others
with some knowledge and guidance they
easily adopt the best practices
then we have people who are following a
sustainable lifestyle who use
social media to share their stories
amplifying the message of conscious
living
there are champions who believe in
collective action
they bring together like-minded people
in the community
and find solutions for local problems
last but not least are the active
citizens
with leadership skills who work with the
government
solution providers fellow residents
and create a change benefiting a larger
group
of society bangalore
has a vibrant network of such engaged
citizens
making a difference every day and that’s
why
we have had so many successful city-wide
campaigns
that have led to her behavior change and
large-scale adoption of good waste
management
practices over the years i have been
part
of many of these campaigns two been won
back
a campaign promoting three-way
segregation
when this method was mandated by the
high court
we helped many communities to understand
segregation
and implement it i remember the time
we drove 20 kilometers to pick up 20
kids
to distribute in my neighborhood
a campaign very close to my heart it
promotes
to have three green spots at home
compost
grow and cook it’s then that i tried
different methods of composting and
started growing
food on my terrace i was among the
hundreds of volunteers
who conducted workshops in corporates
communities
and made home composting an urban
reality
in bangalore trashonomics a simple book
on solid waste management
with the objective of empowering our
children
to become responsible citizens of
tomorrow
as a master trainer i have trained many
volunteers
conducted sessions in schools for
students and teachers
apart from engaging on campaigns as a
citizen
it is equally important to be involved
in the local governance
and in bangalore this is possible as
being
a part of the ward committee
as a what committee member along with a
few volunteers
and local officials we took up the task
of creating block maps and mapping the
waste generators
this activity helped us to
increase the vehicle allocation for
better waste collection
this clearly proves that when we engage
we can make the government listen to the
citizen voice
and bring about a change so i’m sure
you’ll agree the collective impact of
engaged citizens
has the power to transform society and
address the waste challenges of our
times
i am proud to be a part of this
ecosystem here in bangalore
who inspire share and support one
another
come join us and be a part of a citizen
movement