Segregation at Source
Segregation at Source is about an easy DIY (Do-It-Yourself) model which can be adapted whether it’s a single home, apartment or a community for achieving visible, color coded segregation of waste.
The undeniable importance of segregation at source was understood early on. All SWM processes are built on the basic premise of achieving segregation at source.
Carrying out a rapid assessment of every campus, every home, school, hotel, office, public events that our members visit, is not only a matter of habit, but also helps to understand the existing practices and operational requirements for improvement.
This is one of the hallmarks that has helped to understand the variations, evolve a standardized system called 2bin1bag, that is applicable to all.
What is Segregation at Source ?
Not only is segregation important, it is also important that it is done at source. Segregation of waste is the process of keeping different types of waste separate based on their composition and their perishability . ‘At source’ refers to the point where the waste is generated in the domestic context it is the home unit, in the commercial setting it is the shop , hotel , club or wedding hall etc in the institutional context it is the campus or at a public place or event
The MSW Rules 2000 laid out that Municipalities needed to ‘collect, segregate, transport and dispose’ (note the word segregate comes after the word collect). This was creating a road block in contracts and hindering implementation to waste stream management.
The focus was therefore to shift from ‘segregation’ to ‘segregation at source’ in all legal statutes , which was rectified in the SWM Rules 2016 and more importantly laid out the sequential requirement as ‘segregation at source, collection , transportation and processing’ (note the term segregation at source comes before the word collection).
The onus of segregation is therefore placed squarely on the waste generator. SWM Rules 2016 … now clearly indicates it is the duty of the generator to Segregate at Source and handover the waste.
Why is Segregation at Source Important?
Most people are used to dumping all waste into a common bin and are mostly unaware that this mixed waste which is dumped or burnt is the cause of dangers to public health and at the root of air and water pollution : (link to a doc Why SAS)
Informing people what happens when Segregation at Source does not happen and we send mixed waste out of our homes is an all important starting point to any intervention around achieving Waste Management, be it at the individual or community level or be it at the official level.
How to achieve Segregation at Source?
It was important to show that Segregation at Source can be achieved. Segregation at source was attempted in varying scales, sizes and types to ensure that its practical and scalable.
CREATE CONVENIENCE AND EASE OF ADOPTION
We have tried different models which have evolved over the years and the 2bin1bag has won hands down as a very convenient method.
Visit our campaign website www.2bin1bag.in for all the info on how to easily adopt segregation at source
Waste Stream Management is about setting up a Waste Management Protocol which starts with segregate at source, collection and transportation of each waste stream separately to end destination where either compost, recycle or managed disposal of each waste stream takes place.