Bengaluru: The government may have removed garbage bins to popularise door-to -door collection of the city's rubbish, but now that it has not proved to be efficient, the bins are coming back in some parts thanks to people's initiatives.
Fed up with the black spots created near a school in Bhoompasandra and concerned about the students’ health, members of Citizens For Sustainability (CIFOS) and a few parents put their heads together and found a solution by installing community trash bins at street corners. They adopted the three bin concept for the two garbage kiosks that are safeguarded by a metal frame and manned by two pourakarmikas.
The bins are used to collect wet, dry and hazardous waste and the pourakarmikas are expected to educate the people on segregation. The initiative has been received well by the people. Mr T. S. Subbaiah, an architect, who pooled in money for the project with a few parents and members of residents welfare association, says the bins have been created in such a way that they discourage people from littering around them.
"Since the bins are enclosed, people have to come up to them to handover the garbage. This way, garbage is segregated at source and sent to waste processing plants," he explained.
To make the project a success, students and their parents have been visiting houses in the locality to create awareness about segregation and the health hazards of dumping near the school.
“Each unit cost about Rs 18,500. Since people have pooled in money there is no burden on any individual. We want this concept to be taken up across the city, not by the BBMP but by citizens. We are calling upon politicians to donate such kiosks on their birthdays instead of spending on hoardings and neon signs,” Mr. Subbaiah added.
