Monday, November 26, 2012

The Garbage Needs a Thought!


Standing atop my terrace, I observed the garbage collection system this morning.

A neat cycle-trolley was being steered out of the residential colony by an official Municipal employee. The cart was painted - Indore Municipality - and had neat polythene bags stacked inside, apparently collected door-to-door.

Her milk is what some will drink
I was very happy to see that there is a functioning garbage disposal system. Then came the shocker. 

The cart reached the big metal garbage container on the main street. And I assumed that the person will now empty everything into the main container. These containers are then taken for emptying by big trucks that pick them up every 2-3 days, and then replace them again (emptied).

But no.

He emptied everything on the road just all around the container (the service road on which the big container is put). Then two rag-picker girls with their sacks came along quickly. They rummaged through the fresh garbage, and collected useful things and left. Then 6 cows came, and started opening (through force of their mouths and hoofs) the polythenes and consuming the rubbish happily. Then the cycle-cart wallah himself collected useful stuff and put it into his own cart.



Then, our friend (the cart-wallah) was busy cleaning his cart with a gentle hand. (I must admit his gentle movements surprised me - for his profession, I expected a rough hand.) He was least interested that he has just collected the garbage from inside the colony, and dirtied the entire service road area! The poor big container must have been begging for some contribution inside, but no sir, it was not to be!

Finally, he left, with a clean and emptied cycle-cart, with all rubbish lying outside the big container. The cows seemed very happy munching through the fresh garbage.

I was forced to contemplate what was going on.

Some learnings:

  • We Indians have to learn to put garbage INSIDE the containers meant for it, not OUTSIDE!
  • Even garbage collection systems have their vested interests right to the last point of disposal.
  • The nonchalance of the cart-wallah meant it was a daily practice for him
  • The supervision system needs to be very meticulous, with adequate penalties at each point
  • Citizens need to report to the concerned authorities when they see a flagrant violation like this

Operationally speaking, it was a reminder that no system will run smoothly on its own. Occasional checks and balances are a must, no matter how stinky the affair be!

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13 comments:

Vidisha Barwal said...

garbage and improper disposal is really a serious problem at our end too! people lack civic sense! here people prefer throwing their domestic garbage in the nearby "naala" rather than walking up to the dustbins! huh!

Unknown said...

Vidisha - thanks for your comment. We have a long way to go as a society. Each one of us has to participate in that process of change.

Unknown said...

This act of official municipal Employee is indeed very disheartening.Nevertheless,the authorities involved in this kind of operations cannot be debarred from this smuttiness. They are also equally responsible for these kind of inconceivable acts on account of being an government regulated organisation employee,which has been constituted for keeping environment in healthy state.I feel that its not merely the fault of that employee,rather we all contribute to it.Who that employee is?A very normal,common person from our society,a member of Homo Sapiens genus.What he did was actually the learning of our own society.He might have acquired it from somewhere and that somewhere is not Mars,its EARTH.A lot many examples can be cited that would grimace on the situation but need of hour is to quote those examples or make an effort to show our community the examples which can trouble our conscience and make us good human.The unhygienic ambience so created is directly affecting us.It is getting tough to look for fresh air.This ultimately affects us in forms of deadly diseases unavoidable nowadays due to our own malpractices.We as a society should give a critical look to these problems and should self assess ourselves for betterment of society and our own well-being.
-Prashant Tripathi

Unknown said...

"My house should be neat,clean and disinfected I am not bothered about surroundings,that is not my job",most of us possess this mentality, but one should understand soon that not only our home but the least we can think is about our near localities.Being a citizen it is our duty also.Implementing a major plan in a big city requires time but till then we cant just sit and criticize.We should start taking small measures from our side also.One thing which we can do is just to collect bio-degradable and non-degradable waste separately.This requires no extra effort .The municipal corporation employees can be taught about this and the waste can be disposed off separately.Every society can dig a pit in which the degradable waste can be dumped,this is even cost efficient and we can be saved from the littering of wastes which if by any chance road-side animals eat ,it wont harm them.

Unknown said...

"My house should be neat,clean and disinfected I am not bothered about surroundings,that is not my job",most of us possess this mentality, but one should understand soon that not only our home but the least we can think is about our near localities.Being a citizen it is our duty also.Implementing a major plan in a big city requires time but till then we cant just sit and criticize.We should start taking small measures from our side also.One thing which we can do is just to collect bio-degradable and non-degradable waste separately.This requires no extra effort .The municipal corporation employees can be taught about this and the waste can be disposed off separately.Every society can dig a pit in which the degradable waste can be dumped,this is even cost efficient and we can be saved from the littering of wastes which if by any chance road-side animals eat ,it wont harm them.

Unknown said...

I think the amount of garbage which abounds demonstrates clearly the need for some healthy criticism, on a more serious note I believe that unless we’ve spent some time developing your own critical eye as part of your own development you have no business calling yourself a professional.And another words we can say that if we use less amount of polythene.We should use paper bags because paper is not harmful to us . Some people make their business by selling of poly bags the government should 'BAN' on this type of business because there are so many harmful gas riles by the making & destroy of poly bags.In my opinion we should aware of uses of polythene.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

as we know that lots of people wants our house should be clean and other go any where . we do not clean our government things like park,colony,public area and so on.its not good for our health.many deseases comes to this way.we should use dustbin for our garbage and improper things.


thanks
vaishali soni

Unknown said...


It is very sad to see that people are very careless about garbage management, and they don't think much about it. Municipal provides some facility for garbage management, garbage containers are putted at needed places by municipal in all over cities across the country, but people don't have any thought, they don't use those container for garbage and throw out instead of container. I think the title of the article "The Garbage Needs a Thought" is very intelligently taken by author because it is shows that people should think about it and only thought can change the game, otherwise problem would not solve. We can learn a lot from foreign citizen, they don't pollute their cities because they love them. I Think government should take some serious steps and promote advertisement program like "Incredible India".

Unknown said...

SIDDHARTH ASATI,


we do have some sustainable solution, option that let us meet our current need and provide for future generation as well. our most promising alternatives are waste reduction and recycling.
some question comes in mind first, in which:-
1.who are the guys from whom we can ask question?
2.what is it that we can do?
in India we can see these such type of rubbish things too much. responsibility for which, this is apparently unknown. India is an incredible country but people takes it like as selfish. really garbage needs a thought not for India, society but personnel supportive further more. actually some people being, in real life very lethargic and other seeing them become as being. that's why people thing only "myself". broadly garbage produced by homes, hotels, industries, factories, streets, and eroding works. municipal corporation and their infrastructure management works for cleaning and effacing it. companies need to manage their Industries and hazardous waste and reduce their harmful. emission in the manufacturing process-many browfield land sites exist where previously environmentally unfriendly processes occurred. reducing your trash output, and composition your waste whenever possible as well as being environmentally friendly will go a long way regenerating our cities and town into environmentally


Thanks

Reema Jain said...

well its a serious issue in today's era where people are really more interested in pin pointing others mistake but what about there own.If we see our neighbor throwing waste on the road we say see she/he is throwing waste on our road but when we do it what should we expect from others same thing right.ya of course its the duty of garbage collector to collect the waste and not to throw it again on road.sandeep sir you have taken out a very serious issue which needs to be discussed and complained about it to the municipality.In recent times newspaper i read news about 'Govt not serious about garbage problem, people's involvement needed'.I really think most of us don't take it serious either..we use lots of poly bags & then throw it without even thinking of domestic animals who eat those waste... recycling of those waste is the best alternative only if they collect all those waste not if they through it again..
Thank you
Sandeep Sir

soma chourasia said...

Improper disposal of waste is really a serious problem,people do not think about the cleanliness of their society or country they just want their houses to be clean .Improper disposal of garbage causes many health problems .Everyone should give proper attention on this issue and make society and our country clean and beautiful .

Unknown said...

nice one...... thanks for your brilliant thought sir. i really agree with that we have to put garbage inside the containers. but some Indian have mental posses that my house should be clean,neat and tidy and i am not bothering about country.Due to that many diseases and virus also infected the body but people doesn't easily understand that . If we really change the outlook of our environment we have to start from our home firstly.then from colony.

thanking you,

nilesh nathe