Category Waste Management

Solid Waste Management Plan Implementation in Sobha Althea & Azalea, Yelahanka, Bangalore

This is a guest post from Ms. Savita Hiremath, Green Committee Member of Sobha Azalea & Althea, an apartment complex in Yelahanka, Bangalore. Sobha Azalea & Althea owners association have been using ApnaComplex for last 1.5+ years to manage thier society’s operations and finances.

At Sobha Althea & Azalea, we are a motley group of women coming from various backgrounds. We were thinking of putting a waste management system in place even before the BBMP legislation came into force. But for some reasons, it didn’t take off.

The legislation was just the kind of nudge we needed to get going and start thinking about HOWs and WHYs.

A string of meetings helped us frame certain guidelines for our own residential community while keeping in mind the larger picture: A waste-free zone.

1. Get the Green Committee members together: This is the first step. If the GC members are not like-minded and united, then the community won’t give a hoot to your rules. In many cases, committees are either inactive or suffer from absenteeism. A couple of get-togethers can kick off unprecedented bonhomie and help focus on work. If each one gets complimented for the sincere work they do, team work becomes a pleasure and truly rewarding.

2. GC members must remain up-to-date with the developments. Be always a step ahead of others to reinforce your authority on the subject you are trying to handle. Power without authority on the subject cuts no ice.

3. Put necessary infrastructure in place. Labeled bins for storage and others for collection. Make sure housekeepers have safety equipment like gloves and masks. Tie up with agents for dry waste recycling. If you are going for community composting of wet waste, make sure the entire workforce is trained along with one or two GC members.

4. Prepare a Dos & Don’ts file on waste segregation before informing the community that the exercise will begin on a certain date. Let this be as comprehensive as it gets. Send the printed note to all the flats and secure their signatures to make sure that nobody feigns ignorance later. Put up notices on ApnaComplex, community’s Facebook page and spread the message through all other active email groups.

5. Train the Housekeepers first and keep the Facility Manager in the loop (training methodology given below).

Sobha Althea and Azalea Residents goal - Make their complex a Waste Free Zone

Sobha Althea and Azalea Residents working towards the goal of being a Waste Free Zone


6. Notices & reminders: Put up notices wherever possible. Create an atmosphere in community areas with colourful posters. Use ApnaComplex, Facebook, personal ids for spreading info on upcoming training sessions/meeting and also Dos & Don’ts. Create a sense of urgency so that people are pressured to attend the meetings. Do not reveal when the next session will be held. Warn of serious action if people fail to comply.

7. Invite residents to take part in the cause. Call these meetings interactive sessions”, not “trainings”, as some residents may already know a lot about segregation and their knowledge/intelligence should not be underestimated. If the turnout isn’t good, persist and call for another session.

8. Build a relationship with every one Given the demographic makeup of Bangalore’s population, it’s a given that people come here from various places/speak various languages. In our complex, a good chunk of people flit in and out of India often and there’s a chance that they may miss out on the local socio-political developments. There are certain subtle contextual nuances that non-Kannadigas may not get. We all know how the mainstream English newspapers and TV channels focus more on news that caters to English-speaking people, quotes are gathered from those who can speak English. However, when it comes to dealing with issues like waste segregation which needs co-ordination with your maids and cooks (most of them speak local languages) day in and day out, developing a CONNECTION with them is a step taken in the right direction.

9. But first, build a backgrounder. In the meetings, brief the people on how it all began and where we are headed. Tell them about how hellish life got for people in Mylappanahalli, Mavallipura and Mandur landfills. Most people may not know how BBMP dealt with tonnes of garbage all this while. Be prepared for such ‘revelations’. Once the backgrounder is laid bare, get down to specifics.

10. Be firm, yet flexible. To make anything work, there WILL BE and HAVE TO BE certain negotiables and non-negotiables.

In our case, NON-NEGOTIABLES included the following:
a. Everyone has to follow the BBMP law. No exceptions. No giving room to cynicism that no such law has ever worked and is bound to fail this time, too. Just say that we will go ahead even if the entire Bangalore fails to execute. Certain decisions (that affect the entire community) cannot be left to individual choices.

b. No using plastic bags for lining the kitchen and dry waste bins. No question of giving leeway to anyone just because they are working men/women. Tell the residents not to tie the bags but empty their bins directly into the large mobile bins pushed by the housekeepers. This way, it’s easy to figure out if there’s any mixed waste and pinpoint the errors right on the spot. Many of our residents initially found this practice pretty cumbersome and “stinky”. We stuck to our guns and said that newspaper sheets lining will not leave solid leftovers/residue sticking to the bin and will be easy to wash. So far, so good!

c. No saying ‘no’ to rinsing milk packets/food containers. Tell them that the dry waste agent comes only once in a fortnight and storing badly segregated waste in the basement means stench and of course, inviting rodents, houseflies, mosquitoes, etc.

d. They must send ALL their maids/cooks/drivers for training. This became the highlight of our discussions because we had to explain how language barriers between the owners and maids/cooks can be exploited by either of them to commit errors. At the same time, tell the residents that it makes their job easier because the housemaids/cooks will sense how serious everyone is.

NEGOTIABLES: a. It’s left to the residents if they want to line the kitchen bin with newspapers sheets or not. You can recommend a certain type of bin, but if they already have inbuilt modular bins, let them decide how they want to store and dispose of wet waste.

b. Place bins near the lift entrance so that working men/women can dump the wet waste while they leave for work early in the morning. But do make sure that they don’t use plastic bags for this purpose. Luckily, our residents have found newspaper sheet lining pretty effective!

c. If some residents want to train their own in-house maids/cooks, leave it to their discretion. But, if they make mistakes, make sure that you emphasize the need for training session and tell them that they must attend the next session.

11. Launch door-to-door campaigns immediately. This will reinforce the seriousness of the GC’s commitment to going green. Secondly, it gives a chance to know your neighbours better. And most importantly, their reaction to the whole thing will, in most cases, lets you figure out who has taken it seriously and who is likely to fall out of line.

12. Involve Everyone Invite more volunteers and appoint block co-ordinators. If necessary, floor co-ordinators, too.

13. Incentivising Housekeeping Staff
We have realized that selling dry waste fetches a decent amount of money. A part of it can be used to incentivise the housekeepers who deal with stink and dirt every day. Tell them it will all get mutually beneficial if the collective aim is achieved.

14. Punitive Measures
Enforce punitive measures, if necessary. However, remember that the ultimate aim is NOT to punish people, but to achieve 100% compliance. For that, be ready for any number of trainings/monthly sessions as you move on.

Maids/Cooks Training

Attendance is mandatory. Those who attend get their identity cards signed by GC members on the spot. If residents remain cold to this rule, tell them this will help them in more than one way:

a. Once they attend the training, domestic helps cannot say they can’t do segregation.
b. They cannot exploit the language barrier (if any) to go lax.
c. If there is no language barrier, the seriousness with which the GC members proceed, fellow workers’ enthusiasm, or at least, willingness to participate in the cause, will put pressure on the rest.

Explain the background. If you just say “put wet waste here and dry waste there”, they don’t see the value behind the exercise. You have to explain WHY it has to be done and WHAT will happen if we don’t follow the rules.

It’s natural for domestic helps and cooks to think that we are stretching this segregation thing a bit too far and adding more burden to their already difficult lives. But if you tell them clearly that they are some other people—pourakarmikas—whose lives are even more difficult, they begin to CONNECT! This has been the case with our electricians, plumbers, security guards, drivers, gardeners, etc.

Explain how we think everything that rots is “stinky”. We have to lay bare our own stupidity in front them and laugh at it and invite them to learn from our mistakes. They will begin to think educated people also make mistakes and are also learning just as they are.

To think that they don’t get the larger picture of environmental health is a bit too condescending. If you get them to talk, you will know life has taught them a good deal. We have found that, if explained in simpler terms, they are able to get scientific details, too.

If they remain impassive/indifferent to rules on rinsing milk/food packets, collecting wet waste directly in a bin without lining, remind them that this is exactly what they are doing in their houses, too.

Make sure that the entire workforce employed by an individual household attends the training. Otherwise, blame game starts in no time. We have experienced this.

In a few cases, we saw some thinking residents sitting along with their maids in the training sessions. This in itself made the workforce realize how serious we all were and how we wanted the rest to be involved to make it a success. Nothing can work better than this! If we are serious, we don’t see why our maids can’t get serious.

Ultimately, nothing much can be achieved if the helps/cooks do not co-operate. Let the residents decide how they want to reward them when they do a good job. Sometimes, just a compliment will go long way in achieving compliance.

Training for the rest of the Workforce

You may wonder why train electricians, plumbers, security guards, drivers, gardeners, etc. But we can’t do without their co-operation. They often dispose of waste after cleaning cars into wrong bins. Electricians dump e-waste just anywhere and so do plumbers. It’s essential that they know the basics of segregation as some of them eat lunch in the parking lots, smoke and drink tea, and throw the leftovers, beedis/cigarette butts and plastic tea cups just anywhere in the car parking areas. Paan/gutka stains and spitting into sand buckets are also issues that need immediate action. In short, anybody who enters the complex should know the rules in place.

Follow the same method of explaining the backgrounder before talking about types of waste. Help them connect with your message. Be warm and receptive. Be ready to entertain their views and complaints. Talk beyond segregation and show them that you care for their welfare in general. Try to SINCERELY look into complaints if they have any. Once trust is established, it’s becomes relatively easier to enforce rules.

As a closing remark – Remember it’s a marathon, not a sprint. You’d rather lose some battles on the way when you know you are out to win the war. Patience is of paramount importance!


About the Author
Savita is a Bangalore-based a journalist since 1995 and consults several NGOs and a human rights group to research and document socio-political issues. She has earlier worked with Deccan Herald, The Times of India, and The New Indian Express, and headed a journalism institute for an year. She loves to write on women’s issues, HIV/AIDS, caste and religion, rural poverty, environmental issues, and tennis. You can read more about her on her blog at www.savitahiremath.com. Please leave a comment below if you want to get in touch with her.


Want to manage your apartment easily and financials transparently in your Housing Society? – Get on to ApnaComplex – Today!

ApnaComplex is India’s best web based housing society accounting software.

ApnaComplex is designed to make the life of residents and owners lot better by bringing in more transparency and accountability in managing a housing society. Check out why we say ApnaComplex is Best Apartment Management Software and sign up your society today to get the benefits! We offer ApnaComplex – Free Edition with awesome capabilities which you can use free of cost forever.


Solid Waste Management: Waste Segregation at Source Video

Inline with our objective of sharing comprehensive information on Solid Waste Management to Apartments in Bangalore, we here share an informative video on Waste Segregation at Source from Namm Bengaluru Foundation on YouTube (the video is in Kannada).


Want to manage your apartment easily and financials transparently in your Housing Society? – Get on to ApnaComplex – Today!

ApnaComplex is India’s best web based housing society accounting software.

ApnaComplex is designed to make the life of residents and owners lot better by bringing in more transparency and accountability in managing a housing society. Check out why we say ApnaComplex is Best Apartment Management Software and sign up your society today to get the benefits! We offer ApnaComplex – Free Edition with awesome capabilities which you can use free of cost forever.


Poster for Solid Waste Management in Apartments

Here is an attractive poster from RagPcikers on Solid Waste Management that you can use to promote Waste Segrgation by residents of your apartment complex. You can get this printed on A4 size and put it on notice boards and even request residents to pin it up on fridge inside the apartment so that residents are constantly reminded on the importance of waste segregation.

Cheat Sheet for Waste Segregation in Apartments

Cheat Sheet for Waste Segregation in Apartments


Want to manage your apartment easily and financials transparently in your Housing Society? – Get on to ApnaComplex – Today!

ApnaComplex is India’s best web based housing society accounting software.

ApnaComplex is designed to make the life of residents and owners lot better by bringing in more transparency and accountability in managing a housing society. Check out why we say ApnaComplex is Best Apartment Management Software and sign up your society today to get the benefits! We offer ApnaComplex – Free Edition with awesome capabilities which you can use free of cost forever.


Inspiring Solid Waste Management Story – Creating Wealth off Waste!

Solid Waste Management and Waste Segregation are the latest buzz words in Bangalore Apartments – thanks to the BBMP’s directive of mandatory Waste Segregation from Oct 1st 2012.

Waste Segregation at source shall only be successful if every resident, every community makes it a way of life.
Below is a inspirational video from Koramangala 3rd block Wealth off Waste(WoW) Project – which takes you the journey of how Koramangala block 3 Resident Welfare Association is driving waste segregation. Watch this video, show it to your house helpers, house keeping staff, neighbours – start creating WoW!


Want to manage your apartment easily and financials transparently in your Housing Society? – Get on to ApnaComplex – Today!

ApnaComplex is India’s best web based housing society accounting software.

ApnaComplex is designed to make the life of residents and owners lot better by bringing in more transparency and accountability in managing a housing society. Check out why we say ApnaComplex is Best Apartment Management Software and sign up your society today to get the benefits! We offer ApnaComplex – Free Edition with awesome capabilities which you can use free of cost forever.


Sample Solid Waste Management Template for your Apartment Complex

With the new Waste Segregation rules to be implemented by BBMP from Oct 1st 2012, most apartment communities in Bangalore are rushing to implement new processes for the Waste Management in thier respective societies.

In order to help Apartments in Bangalore, we at ApnaComplex have put together a template that could help Managing Committees create a Solid Waste Management Plan easily.

Click on the image below to download the excel template. You can customize the same to your socieity’s needs. Feel free to distribute the same as well.

Template for Solid Waste Segregation and Management in Apartment Complexes

Template for Solid Waste Segregation and Management in Apartment Complexes

Feel free to share with other societies, if you find the template useful!


Want to maintain financials easily and transparently in your Housing Society? – Get on to ApnaComplex – Today!

ApnaComplex is India’s best web based housing society accounting software.
ApnaComplex is designed to make the life of residents and owners lot better by bringing in more transparency and accountability in managing a housing society. Check out why we say ApnaComplex is Best Apartment Management Software and sign up your society today to get the benefits! We offer ApnaComplex – Free Edition with awesome capabilities which you can use free of cost forever.


List of Dry Waste Collection Centres in Bangalore

With BBMP mandating Waste Segregation at source from Oct 1st 2012 in Bangalore, we at ApnaComplex have compiled a list of Dry Waste Collection Centres with information available on internet for your reference:

Organization Name / Address

Contact Person Name

Contact Number

Domlur Kartavya
DWCC Below Domlur flyover.

Ms. Krupa

9141037724

Anandnagar Kartavya
DWCC, Behind Bangalore Baptist Hospital, Hebbal.

Ms. Anjana

9449220484

Gottigere Kartavya
DWCC,  Near
Nandi Park Apartments.

Mr. Marwan

9945686274

HSR Layout Kartavya DWCC Sector 1, next to
Bangalore One Office.

Mr. Marwan

9945686274

Kasa Rasa 1, Koramangala
Ejjipura, near National Games Village

Mr. Purshottam

9886693586

Kasa Rasa 2, Koramangala
HT Wire, near Jyoti Nivas
College

Mr. Purshottam

9886693586

Mahalakashmi Layout Kartavya
DWCC. Near ISCKON Temple.

Ms. Archana

9742495819

Malleswaram Kartavya
DWCC,  Malleswaram
13th cross (Beside JP Balimo on Sampige
Road)

Mr. Narendra

9632489689

Parivarthana, Ambedkar
Nagar.

Mr. Jayakrishna

9740803112

Ramamurthynagar Kartavya
DWCC,  Ramamurthynagar

Mr. Madhu

9880293929

Samarthanam Parisara,
#1129 19th Main Road,  J.P. Nagar 2nd
Phase, Bangalore

9449864680

Shivajinagar Kartavya
DWCC Shivajinagar, Stadium.

Mr. Subramaniam

9663355773

Yelahanka Kartavya
DWCC Allal sandra 194

Ms. Anita

9886479773

Main source: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Radio-Active-CR-904-MHz/367482348763


Want to maintain financials easily and transparently in your Housing Society? – Get on to ApnaComplex – Today!

ApnaComplex is India’s best web based housing society accounting software.
ApnaComplex is designed to make the life of residents and owners lot better by bringing in more transparency and accountability in managing a housing society. Check out why we say ApnaComplex is Best Apartment Management Software and sign up your society today to get the benefits! We offer ApnaComplex – Free Edition with awesome capabilities which you can use free of cost forever.


Waste Management Process in Purva Panorama Apartments, Bangalore

One of ApnaComplex‘s premium customers, Purva Panorama Apartments, on Bannerghatta Road, Bangalore is ensuring waste generated in their apartments is efficiently managed and disposed, reducing the damage to environment.

Below is TV-9 coverage of the waste management process in Purva Panorama under the Hasiru City feature:

Purva Panorama not only leads in Waste Management, but also in adopting best Apartment Management Software, to manage their apartment efficiently and transparently!


Want to manage your apartment easily and financials transparently in your Housing Society? – Get on to ApnaComplex – Today!

ApnaComplex is India’s best web based housing society accounting software.

ApnaComplex is designed to make the life of residents and owners lot better by bringing in more transparency and accountability in managing a housing society. Check out why we say ApnaComplex is Best Apartment Management Software and sign up your society today to get the benefits! We offer ApnaComplex – Free Edition with awesome capabilities which you can use free of cost forever.


Apartment Waste Management And How You Can Help

Waste management units are important, and these need to be installed in every apartment complex according to government regulations.

Although development authorities in cities are ensuring that all apartment complexes comply with their demands, the success of this measure will solely depend on the residents and how actively they participate in the concept.

The Need for Waste Management

Due to the large number of people living in an apartment complex, the overall output with regards to waste will also be high. Such waste should be properly classified under the many forms of waste materials so that no harm is inflicted on the environment.

The age old practice of dumping waste items from independent houses and apartment complexes in a particular spot is now fading, and more and more people are learning about the importance of proper waste management. You can contribute your bit for managing the waste items in your apartment complex, and this you can do by starting the process at home.

Saying NO To Plastics Is The First Step!

Saying NO To Plastics Is The First Step!

Steps for Proper Waste Management – Dos and Don’ts

  • Segregate your waste in an orderly manner, and split the waste into different types. The best way to do this would be to split your overall domestic waste into two categories – wet waste and dry waste.
  • Make sure that you have two dustbins in your house for this purpose. Dump all your dry waste (cardboards pieces, paper leaves, glass pieces) in one particular dustbin and dump your wet waste (kitchen waste) in another dustbin. This should become a daily habit, and you can teach your kids and other family members to do the same.
  • Make sure that you teach your maid the importance of waste management as well, as housemaids in many houses are responsible for handling the waste items.
  • Try to avoid using plastic bags as much as possible. Make sure you opt for alternatives like cloth bags and jute bags, because plastic bags don’t decay. In case you do have a plastic bag or two, use the plastic bag again and again, without buying any new ones. You can reuse plastic bags any number of times.
  • You can dump your kitchen waste and garden waste together to make compost. This can be used while gardening, and such compost is known to provide a lot of essential nutrients to plants.
  • The proper segregation of waste is something that should be carried out everywhere in an apartment complex, because this way, waste management will be easier. You can encourage other residents in your apartment complex and also your neighbors to do the same by labeling all the waste bins that are located within the apartment complex. You can label these bins as per their category (wet waste and dry waste).
  • Don’t try and dump your kitchen waste down the sink on any account. This will only lead to further problems as the drain may get clogged easily.

Waste management is a concept that just needs the right number of volunteers for it to be successful, and an apartment complex is an ideal setting where the process can be effectively carried out.


Read all Apartment Management Tips at Maintenace Tips Section of the ApnaComplex blog.


This article aims at collating and providing information for benefit of ApnaComplex customers and blog readers. While ApnaComplex has taken every care to ensure the information is accurate, we suggest to please use it only as a guidance for further discussion and action with help of relevant professionals. If you need professional advise on this topic and any other property related matters, please send your request through our contact us form. You may post your questions/inputs in the Comments section below and we will try and get them answered through relevant subject matter experts.