The Times of India               09.10.2013

10,000 students to join CCP in making Panaji 'waste wise'

PANAJI: In order to educate Panaji's students about segregation at source and the responsible disposal of household waste, the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) launched 'Waste Wise' at Patto on Tuesday.

The initiative involves the active participation of 10 Panaji-based high schools, with around 10,000 students coming forward to gather waste and dispose it at collection centres near their schools along with a corporate sponsor. The students will be given a 'Waste Wise' passbook, where a student will earn a stamp for bringing waste to the centre. The stamps can then be redeemed to avail of gifts like bags, cycle, caps and so on.

CCP has identified spaces around the schools to set up the collection centres. The city waste will be collected in a four-bin system with four different composting bins at the centres. The bins are colour-coded, with grey for glass and metal, brown for paper and cartons, orange for plastic and purple for thermocol, ceramics, rubber, leather, batteries and tube lights. There are about 125 composting units across the city.

CCP commissioner Sanjit Rodrigues said, "Panaji generates 60 tonnes of waste every day. Waste is segregated to make bales, some of which is sent to a cement plant in Karnataka, where they substitute the waste for coal to generate energy." Bales are compressed blocks of garbage, made by a bale press machine, turning the loose items into a squashed solid block.

Rodrigues also spoke about changing the "not in my backyard mindset to yes in my backyard". About 95% of the total waste generated can be recycled, encouraging the students to lead by example.

Minister for forests and environment Alina Saldanha said, "I am glad the CCP has taken up this initiative. During the event, we need to change our habits and it should not be a responsibility anymore, but a reflex action."