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Time of India
30-07-2025
- General
- Time of India
In Kasturba Nagar, ‘trash talk' is everyone's business; residents bag 2.5kg compost in 2 yrs
Chennai: In Kasturba Nagar, taking out the trash is more than a chore, it often sparks debate. "Vegetable waste goes in green, paper in blue, glass in red, but what about coconut shells, expired tablets, or X-rays," asks Janani Venkatesh from the Residents of Kasturba Nagar Association (ROKA). "We regularly get questions about hair, nails, and face masks too," adds resident Sharanya. "While in other homes, kids are threatened with ghosts, I tell mine I'll drop them in a mixed-waste household," she laughs. Over the past two years, ROKA's 'We Segregate' initiative brought more than 1,000 households across four roads into a decentralised waste management model. Residents composted 8,200kg of kitchen waste and received 2,500 kg of compost back. "We use three aerobic composters, each handling around 750 kg. We completed four full harvest cycles," Janani says. You Can Also Check: Chennai AQI | Weather in Chennai | Bank Holidays in Chennai | Public Holidays in Chennai Earlier this year, ROKA, the Environmentalist Foundation of India and Avris Environment Technologies helped set up a biogas plant in a GCC school in Adyar. Here, food waste is crushed and turned into methane. A larger plant is being planned at a Thiruvanmiyur school with a cluster kitchen feeding 18 others. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Treatment That Might Help You Against Knee Pain Knee pain | search ads Find Now Undo To manage low-value plastics like snack wrappers, ROKA works with IIT Madras' 'Punch the Plastic' initiative. Soft plastics are collected across 45 apartments and sent to a facility in Tambaram run by Spreco. "Hard plastics melt clean and are easy to recycle. Soft plastics are mixed, thinner, and need additives," says Spreco's Krishnapriya. Some campaigns focus on building empathy. In 'Wash the Dabba', food was fermented in delivery containers, and residents were made to smell it to understand the working conditions of conservancy staff. Even religious items, such as photos are disposed of responsibly. "We do a small pooja, then remove the iron, glass, and plastic before sending them for recycling," says Janani. Last year, when the French expedition "Plastic Odyssey" made its stop in Chennai, ROKA was one of the first local participants. Now, with younger volunteers and interns on board, the team is looking to scale up. "We're working with our fourth pair of interns. One of them proposed an online leaderboard to track the top waste-segregating homes in the neighbourhood," Janani says. "While others chase medicine or arts, I found myself drawn to this space," says the intern. "Even if it's small, I want to make a difference."
The Hindu
21-04-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Nearly 60% of residents in Kastruba Nagar segregate waste thanks to ‘We Segregate' initiative
'We Segregate', an initiative that is being implemented at Kasturba Nagar in Chennai since 2023, has been reshaping waste segregation and recycling practices among residents. Nearly 60% of them now segregate waste and contribute to the processing of organic waste. This is owing to the project by Chennai Resilience Centre (CRC), a voluntary organisation, and Okapi Research and Advisory, along with the Residents of Kasturba Association (ROKA). Janani Venkitesh, ROKA's secretary, said residents were being encouraged to do three-way waste segregation at the household level. In October 2023, 37% of household segregated their waste. This has increased to nearly 60% now. 'We have managed to divert 7,000 kg of organic waste and 400 kg of soft plastic from reaching dump yards since 2023. On an average, about 220 kg of compost is produced every month using three community composters,' she said. Besides residents, compost is now being sourced by some farms on East Coast Road. Residents from areas, such as Kotturpuram and Velachery, evinced interest to replicate the lane composting model. Representatives of CRC and Okapi recently met Chennai South MP Thamizhachi Thangapandian and presented a report highlighting key projects and achievements. Krishna Mohan, chief resilience officer, CRC, said the MP expressed interest in several ongoing initiatives such as 'We Segregate' and 'Street Vendor Resilience Programme', which aimed to protect vendors from climate-related challenges. The collaboration and mentorship would help them scale up the ongoing initiatives and adhere better to State-level policy goals. On the collaboration, Ms. Thamizhachi said: 'I see immense potential in CRC's efforts to address the city's pressing urban challenges through community-led, sustainable solutions. I shall extend my support to strengthen CRC's collaborations with government agencies and civic bodies, ensuring that initiatives receive the institutional support they need. Our shared goal is to build a more inclusive, adaptive, and resilient Chennai, one neighbourhood at a time.' Noting that CRC was working with the Greater Chennai Corporation on the programme for street vendors, Mr. Krishna Mohan said a location had been identified near the Thiruvanmiyur beach to develop a model food vending street. This may be replicated to benefit other vendors, including those from the fishing community, through collaboration with the Chennai South MP's team.
