A Dirty Business Goes Green

A Dirty Business Goes Green

This article originally appeared in The Hindu
Here’s is a community that takes its garbage seriously. Koramangala is getting a new integrated waste management system — Kasa Rasa — which will make it easier for people of the area to recycle waste.
The Rs. 40-lakh facility, to be inaugurated on Saturday by BTM Layout MLA Ramalinga Reddy, will enable people of the area to recycle waste, including difficult waste streams like e-waste and low-grade plastic.
Range of options
A press release said the facility has an organic waste converter (OWC) to compost food waste, a shredder and curing tank, space for secondary sorting of waste and storage for pick-up by recyclers.
Aiming to integrate waste pickers to improve their working conditions and income, Kasa Rasa has been developed in association with the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), CHF International, Caterpillar Foundation, Center for Social Action, Saahas, Robert Bosch Engineering Solutions and Tetra Pak India Pvt. Ltd.
The operations of Kasa Rasa @ HTW (High Tension Wire) will be managed by Sahaas, an NGO actively involved in waste management in Bangalore since 2001. “Bangalore needs to be constantly reminded that the city generates almost 5,000 tonnes of waste every day. This huge volume of garbage cannot be disposed of at dumpsites or landfills. It can and should be converted to resources. With support from all the stakeholders, Kasa Rasa can come up in each ward in the city. This will give us a clean city, which is both waste sensitive and garbage free,” said Wilma Rodrigues, founder member of Saahas.
Green message
A series of events to spread the green message has been planned over the weekend at the waste management centre at 5th Block, Koramangala Industrial Area. “This day is not just about the inauguration facility, but it is also about public participation and awareness, said Ms. Rodrigues.
To increase community involvement in the process, a daylong event, Green Storm, has been organised. Workshops will be conducted for children to teach them about composting at home. Films will be screened on waste and its conversion into resources. There will be demos of how to segregate waste, tree planting with compost, exhibition of products made out of recycled material and so on.