Nitte GP gives the lead to tackle garbage holocaust

Nitte GP gives the lead to tackle garbage holocaust

Mangalore Today News Network

Udupi, Nov 24, 2018: Nitte gram panchayat in Udupi district is silently creating revolution by showing way for effective scientific management of waste. It has ensured that no waste collected becomes useless and enters the landfill sites.

 

Nitte GP has a population of 12,354 and covers 9708.05 hectare area. It was one of the GPs selected for setting up the Solid and Liquid Waster Resource Management (SLRM) Centre by Udupi district administration. The efforts of seven members of self help group— Neeladhar, Asha, Vidya, Shyamala, Varija, Sudarshan, Suresh—in handling garbage has shown the way.

The GP uses its old building in its premises to set up the SLRM Centre with two compost pits and for segregating of dry waste. While wet waste is collected from 800 households including business establishments daily twice from Nitte educational institutions to Doopadakatte.

The waste is segregated at the source by the residents. Dry waste is collected from all the houses holds in interior areas on a weekly basis. A separate pouch is given to the households and hairdressers to collect hair, said Nitte Gram Panchayat Vice President Subhashchandra Hegde.

The GP has identified 1.5 acre land at Nitte Madenadu to shift the entire SLRM unit. The wet waste collected is used for preparing compost manure using the cow dung, water and cow urine.

In fact, the GP rears a cow and a calf for the purpose. It takes 30 to 40 days for the waste to convert it into manure. The unit produces 10 tonne manure per month, which is sold to the public, said Neeladhara Monappa Shettigar, staff of SLRM unit.

The egg shells collected are used for preparing egg calcium powder, which is a good manure for plants and food for chicken. In addition, the cow dung and cow urine is used for the preparation of “Panchagavya,” “Amritapani,” bio insecticides. The unused cloth pieces collected from tailor shops are used for preparing cloth bags, pillow, and mats for sale by the SLRM staff.

The collected dry wastes like bottles, plastic materials, cardboards, papers are further categorised into 23 varieties like straw, pens, plastic wrappers, bottles and so on and are sold by the SLRM members. In fact, a kg of pens fetch Rs 18, pet bottles fetch 24 per kg, said Vidya another staff.

“We think all these wastes as useless and are strewn all over. In fact, all the waste can become resources to augment the income. We collect at least three to four kg of chappals and 18 kg of bottles per day,” she added.

“When we sold first load of wet wastes collected for six months, we fetched Rs 75,000. Recently we earned Rs 30,000 per month from the sale of segregated waste,” said the members with a smile on face.

As these seven SLRM employees are trained by Vellore Srinivasan, an expert under the initiative of Udupi DC Priyanka Mary Francis. The SLRM unit has been witnessing several visitors from West Bengal, Assam, and other gram panchayats in Udupi and also team from Japan.