Chandigarh MC survey on to identify city households making compost

Sandeep Rana

Chandigarh, June 17

The Municipal Corporation (MC) is conducting a survey to collect data about the households that have started composting of waste. The exercise aims at encouraging residents to start the practice for a better management of kitchen and horticulture waste.

How to do it

• People can use a container or box with covers and aeration for composting waste at home. They need to put kitchen waste in it along with coco peat. In a month or two, the waste remains one-third of the total garbage and turns into manure.

The MC has also planned to start common composting at the EWS housing complexes. Besides, it has already asked the societies in southern sectors to start composting the kitchen waste. They have also been served notices over non-compliance.

“We are going to reach out to residents, sector to sector, house to house, with the help of residents’ welfare associations (RWAs). We cannot force them to do composting, but will make them aware. We have made training videos on learning the method of composting. We have other material for promotion of the practice,” said MC Commissioner Anindita Mitra.

Will reach out to residents: MC chief

We are going to reach out to residents, sector to sector, house to house, with the help of residents’ welfare associations (RWAs). We cannot force them to do composting, but will make them aware. We have made training videos on learning the method of composting. We have other material for promotion of the practice. —Anindita Mitra, MC commissioner

She said the residents could use a container or box with covers and aeration. They need to put kitchen waste in it along with coco peat. In a month or two, the waste remains one-third of the total and turns into manure to be used in garden or plants.

Currently, the civic body has requested the UT Administration to approve amendments to the building bylaws to make home composting mandatory for 2 kanal houses.

“Gradually, we will cover smaller houses. We will cover the whole city in a phased manner,” added the MC chief.

The civic body had distributed two buckets each to 2,000 households in 10 selected wards for home composting. The buckets were sponsored by a private agency.

Besides, a compost facility will also be set up at the Sector 39 grain market. Compost pits in all community centres and various parks have been built. The manure generated there will be used in the community centre gardens and public parks.

The city produces a total of 550 tonne of waste per day. Of this, 350 tonne is wet (kitchen) garbage alone. The MC eyes at reducing the quantum of wet waste at the generators’ level.