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Decentralised Solid Waste Management in Defense Colony project is a collaborative effort of RWA, Defense colony and Toxics Link. For inspiration we visited the composting site, to learn how this place runs and how it came into existence. What all public bodies are involved in the project to run it efficiently and how much of the residents need to be trained if we adapt the model to our Kheerki community.

Why Solid Waste Management ? 
India’s population has expanded from 342 million in 1947 to 1027 million in 2001. The urban population is expected to grow to 470 million by 2015 A.D. Over the years there has been a progressive decline in the availability of essential services as well as in the quality of life in urban as well as rural areas. With the growing population, urbanisation and demand for consumer goods, both quantity and quality of urban solid waste has changed significantly. This is causing serious environment problems. Urban Solid Waste
is a major contributor to global warming; it leads to surface and ground water pollution through run-off from dumpsites and unhygienic unsanitary surroundings resulting in epidemics and has adverse impact on rag pickers & sanitary workers. Solid Waste collection and disposal are an important part of environmental hygiene and need to be integrated with environmental planning and policies. Improper collection, storage,
treatment and disposal can lead to massive environmental damages leading to serious health hazards. On the other hand much of the waste can be a valuable resource through proper recycling.

You can read more : http://toxicslink.org/docs/munispalwaste/06215_report_decentralised_swm[1].pdf

These are the composting pits, the green(bio-degradable) waste is put in these pits and left to degrade into compost.

Care taker at the Defense colony composting site.

Negotiating food  in conversation with Toxic links.

Us observing the place.