The Swach Seva Sahakari Sanstha (SWaCH) and Deccan Gymkhana Parisar Samiti (DGPS) today announced a special drive to collect, reuse and recycle unwanted household items from residents of Deccan Gymkhana ward no. 36 of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC). The idea is to reduce the amount of garbage generated in the civic ward.
Residents from the ward can dump unwanted items into large bins labeled by category such as old clothes, footwear, old toys and electric gadgets at the back gate of the Kamala Nehru park on April 29 (Sunday) between 9.00 am and 2.00 pm.
- Update 29 April: Photos & Videos from the event
* More on Greeny the puppet (greenythegreat.blogspot.in).
In addition to the collection drive, SWaCH, along with DGPS and the PMC sanitation staff, will clean up the two small by-lanes that join Bhandarkar Road and the stretch along the north entrance of the Kamala Nehru park, currently being used as mini-garbage dumps.
Deccan Gymkhana corporator Madhuri Sahasrabuddhe said, “The Deccan Gymkhana area, once known as a clean, tranquil, low density residential area, is now bustling with residential and commercial complexes, malls and hotels. With increase in population and commercial activity, the amount of garbage generated has increased exponentially, far exceeding the capacity to process it. Each of us in Pune generates 400-500 gm of solid garbage every day. Pune city as a whole generates around 1,400 to 1,500 tonnes of garbage per day.”
Anil Rane, corporator from the same civic panel, said, “The garbage problem can never be solved unless we accept that we realize that it’s due to us. This is one issue we cannot leave for the next generation to deal with. If we want to leave behind a legacy of a clean and green living space for our children, we need to tackle the garbage issue on a war footing. The only way we can have a clean ward is if we reduce the garbage going into the bins – and for this, the residents must be educated about segregation and composting.”
About V-Collect
V Collect is a service offered by SWaCH to help residents dispose of any unwanted household items which are not generally thrown in the daily garbage. The collected material will be distributed amongst SWaCH members who will either reuse it or will make sure it enters the recycling stream. Recycling old and unwanted articles instead of dumping them in the roadside garbage containers reduces the load on the containers and the total amount of garbage going to Urali Depot. This will go a long way in reducing the pollution of air, water and land in and around Pune.
About DGPS and Efforts to Segregate Garbage
DGPS is a group of Prabhag 36 residents (earlier Wards 56 and 67) which includes BMCC Road, Bhandarkar Road, Prabhat Road and Karve Road till SNDT, extending on the other side of Karve Road till the river. DGPS is associated with the National Society for Clean Cities. We would like to emphasize that though our members could be from various political parties, DGPS is not associated with any political party or group, nor does it endorse any particular ideology or political agenda
DGPS strongly believes in segregation of garbage at source and is making every attempt to involve ordinary citizens and residents of the ward in this effort. Segregation of Garbage is mandated by law [Maharashtra Non-Biodegradable Waste Control Ordinance 2006 Article 348, Clause (3)]. It is the duty of each citizen to segregate their waste in to wet and dry garbage. The DGPS has appealed to the PMC to enforce this act, by fining those who do not segregate their waste and/or dump it on the roadside.
The V-Collect drive is an attempt by DGPS and SWaCH to kick-start a cleanliness campaign in Deccan Gymkhana which we hope will lead to a cleaner and less polluted Parisar. DGPS will distribute information about the need for segregation and composting of wet waste and garden waste at home, along with simple and inexpensive ways to do this.
