The Hindu            15.11.2013

Campaign to segregate waste in Chetpet soon

A campaign to segregate garbage at source from among 700-odd households, eight schools, 35 commercial establishments, two auditoria and several hospitals will be launched on Harrington Road, Chetpet from Monday.

A Chennai Corporation official said a group of residents has come together and is sending out email flyers, making posters and creating awareness among people in the neighbourhood and schoolchildren. Anybody who is a resident of Harrington road is a part of this drive.

“A biomethanation plant has also been planned in the vicinity,” the official explained.

Members of the Harrington Road Residents’ Association said that so far 200 households have been reached through posters, email, a Facebook page and WhatsApp messages. They have even roped in two ragpickers – Selvi and Sathish – and two raddhiwalas.

“The idea was to be inclusive and we also didn’t want them to lose their livelihood. We are in discussions with the Corporation to give them identity cards,” said a member.

The residents said that as long as they knew that garbage segregation at source had an end, they would continue to use separate bins for wet and dry waste.

The pamphlets advice residents to drop off medical waste at an identified hospital so that it can be incinerated safely, and to wrap sanitary waste in newspaper and mark it with a red cross. Contact numbers of collection agencies for various kinds of waste have also been given. For details, email: hrra101@gmail.com.