Taking segregation to the streets

One of the biggest challenges that the BBMP has faced for around a year has been waste segregation. Many attempts have been made to help citizens manage their waste.

While some clicked, a large majority have failed. More recently, the assembly passed an amendment bill which seeks to impose a penalty ranging from Rs 100 to Rs 5,000 for not segregating garbage, urinating and littering in public places in the City.

Even then, many houses still don’t bother to segregate their waste. Though many feel that the fear of the fine will help in bringing about a change, one wonders who is really keeping an eye on segregation in public places.

Firstly, not all public places in the City have dustbins. In market areas like Majestic, Chikpet and KR Market, people are found littering the streets with no one questioning them.

Ask them about it and the first response is — where are the dustbins? There are also a few areas in central Bangalore like MG Road, Commercial Street and St Mark’s Road, which have small green and white dustbins placed by an NGO.

However, these too have been badly maintained and not much segregation takes place.
With so many public places in the City without proper dustbins, many feel that there is a need to keep a strict check on segregation in these areas.

“I feel it’s time the BBMP takes strict measures to ensure that segregation of waste takes place in both houses and public places. Often, we see that when the waste is segregated at home, it is brought out and gets mixed again,” observes Joel, a student.

Prithvi, a professional, adds that he is not too sure how far the fine will really help. “So many times, we have noticed that most authorities bring in a hefty fine but still nothing much changes. Yes, segregation is very important but if it doesn’t start at home, how can one expect people to start doing the same in public places?” he questions. Kaveri, a student, completely disagrees with this view.

“It is very important to start segregation in public places. If it is done and succeeds, it will automatically encourage people to do it at home as well. Besides, it is also good for the cleanliness of the streets,” she adds.

There are few public places where it has worked to some extent. The BMTC bus depots in places like Shantinagar and Jayanagar 4th Block do have two dustbins — one for dry and another for wet waste.

“These dustbins have helped in bringing about a change and segregation does take place. And what makes it better is the fact that there are pictures of the different kinds of waste that can be put in the dustbin, so even the uneducated can become aware. We get it cleaned every morning and have placed at least four of them in each depot,” says an officer in charge at the Shantinagar Bus Depot.

If positive measures like this increase in number, there can be some hope for waste segregation to become a success story in the City.

Arpitha, a professional, says, “If there are so many places abroad where people are taking the effort to keep their surroundings clean, why can’t we? I feel if the BBMP takes stricter measures and provides more dustbins for wet and dry waste, it will not only keep the place neat but also make it easier for the pourakarmikas to clear the garbage in public places.”