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India’s Online E-Waste Marketplace Allows Companies to Trade Waste and Manage It Better

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A digital market place where one can trade waste as a commodity is now live in India. Launched by a startup called Eco eMarket, this platform is meant to trade electronic, paper, plastic, and textile waste.

The portal went live for e-waste on January 18 and is currently operating from Bengaluru.

ewaste According to reports, India is the fifth-largest producer of e-waste, generating 18.5 lakh tonnes of waste annually. Open for business-to-business transactions, this platform will help organizations that want to dispose of waste in an eco-friendly manner, and aims to bridge the gap between e-waste generators and recyclers.
Also readA Small Town in West Bengal Helped Kolkata Win a Global Award for Waste Management
Eco eMarket was founded by four professionals from varying backgrounds like technology, commodity markets, and finance, and their goal is to reach all bulk-waste generators across the country. The startup will run a national digital exchange on a revenue-sharing basis with National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange (NCDEX) eMarkets, which is a trading platform, and will function like a commodity exchange platform with auction and bidding methods Meenakshi Chidambaram, chief technology officer at Eco eMarket, told Deccan Herald that NCDEX saw relevance in their idea and signed an agreement with them. “We want to connect the approved buyers of waste with the large users of e-products such as multinationals, IT firms, corporates, and banks. We will start with e-waste and add other types of waste as we go along,” she told Economic Times. Many e-waste generating corporates and government-approved recyclers are already on board with the startup. Claimed to be India's first online marketplace to trade e-waste, this is definitely a big step towards a greener planet. Know more about the platform here.
Featured image for representation only. Source: Flickr

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Bellandur Lake Fire: 5 Ways India Can Revive Its Polluted Urban Water Bodies

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The Bellandur Lake in Bengaluru is on fire again — for the third time in six months. Known for its carpet of toxic froth and filth that spills on the adjoining road, it has now become a common sight to see this lake on fire. [caption id="attachment_87908" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] The Bellandur Lake in Bengaluru is on fire again — for the third time in six months[/caption]
Photo Source
Sadly, this is not the only lake dying a slow death in Bengaluru, a city once famous for its beautiful lakes created by the Kempe Gowdas, the Wodeyars of Mysore and then the British. Water bodies like the Kundalahalli Lake, Varthur Lake, Challakare Lake and Horamavu Agara Kere are also on the decline thanks to unplanned urbanization, encroachment and discharge of sewage/industrial effluents. A recent survey on 105 lakes in Bengaluru, conducted by a team of researchers headed by Professor Ramachandra T V from the Energy and Wetlands Research Group, Centre for Ecological Sciences, IISc, Bangalore, found that only four seemed to be in a healthy condition while nearly 25 lakes were in a very bad state - fully covered with macrophytes, dumped with solid or liquid wastes and with little or no water.

While increasing pollution levels are threatening fresh water bodies worldwide, the problem is assuming the shape of an environmental crisis in a developing country like India.

[caption id="attachment_87926" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Reviving fresh water habitats needs to be a top priority for India.[/caption]
Photo Source
This is why scientific restoration of lakes and other freshwater habitats needs to be among India's top priorities. However, in order to address this serious issue, it is imperative that key stakeholders come together to discuss, mediate and explore the best solutions to mitigate the problem.

Here are 5 innovative ideas and inspiring examples that may provide sustainable solutions to urban water pollution.

1. Novel and Eco-friendly Nanotechnology

[caption id="attachment_87904" align="aligncenter" width="622"] Lake water before (left) and after (right) application of Nualgi technology[/caption]
Photo Source
Bengaluru's lakes have been host to untreated wastewater and sewage for many years now. These foul waters have also been the laboratories of T. Sampath Kumar, a chartered accountant by training, who is also the inventor, producer and sole supplier of a proprietary nutrient he calls NuAlgi—Nu for new and algi for, well, algae. The founder of Bengaluru-based NuAlgi Nanobiotech, Sampath’s technique works by kick-starting the foundation of the aquatic food chain. He feeds a mixture of nutrients to diatoms—the most basic, single-cell life form found in ponds, lakes, rivers and oceans. As the algae formed by diatoms grow, they release oxygen into water. The oxygen released helps aerobic bacteria efficiently break down the organic matter and convert the pollutants to base constituents, all this minus the stink that anaerobic decomposition generates. The diatoms are eaten by zooplanktons that are, in turn, consumed by fish. One litre of NuAlgi, Sampath says, can purge 4 million litres of water of its contaminants. Fishermen in and around Bengaluru are using his concoction of nutrients to clean their hunting grounds so that fish livestock is replenished. The relatively little-known firm has so far treated at least 100 lakes. In Bangalore, it has treated sewage-laden lakes such as the Madivala lake, Ulsoor lake, Vengayyana kere and Puttenahalli lake.

2. Bioremediation

[caption id="attachment_87905" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Hauz khas Lake was revived through bioremediation[/caption]
Photo Source
By 2003, Delhi's Hauz Khas lake had come down from 10 sq km in 1936 to less than 2 sq km (more than an 80 % reduction) due to rapid and haphazard urbanisation. In 2007, Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) and Delhi Development Authority (DDA) decided to undertake a project to revive the ancient water body. A scheme was envisioned and conservation work carried out to restore the lake to its former glory. Water from a nearby Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) was diverted after bio-remediation, passing through various check dams in Sanjay Van (a nearby rain catchment area). Today, the lake is home to various migratory birds, a sight for sore eyes in water-deficient Delhi and testimony to the fact that communities can be a part of the change they wish to see. A combination of weed harvesting, bio-ozolyte treatment and bio-remediation was also adopted by the Tamil Nadu government to save the Ooty Lake. Water hyacinth (an invasive weed) was harvested every three months and used to generate biogas. While bio-remediation was used for in-situ treatment of polluted lake water, bio-ozolyte was used to treat waste water before being let into the water bodies. Eco Bio Blocks (EBB) - blocks made of volcanic rock zeolite and cement infused with special natural micro organisms - were also used. For the uninitiated, in bio-remediation, a remedial blend of microbes work in an orchestrated manner to facilitate the complete degradation of organic pollutants present in the water into simple non-toxic molecules. This process increases the dissolved oxygen (DO) in water bodies, by bringing down the biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD). DO improves quality of water and replenishes life in water bodies.

3. Floating Treatment Wetlands

[caption id="attachment_87906" align="aligncenter" width="1280"] Tarun Sebastian Nanda's floating wetlands[/caption] By creating floating treatment wetlands out of small, human-engineered rafts of vegetation, researchers and entrepreneurs hope to biomimic the naturally purifying action of wetlands and provide ecological services to small, polluted bodies of water that may be far from a natural marsh. Tarun Sebastian Nanda, a British Dutch Indian ecological engineer, is trying to do the same through his initiative ‘Adopt an Island’. His floating wetlands are basically different aquatic plants placed on a buoyant mat built from drainage pipes and used soda bottles. When placed in water bodies, these wetlands purify water and sewage by absorbing significant levels of manganese, iron, aluminium and other contaminants through their roots and foliage, promote reduction in algae and improve the overall ecosystem function. Tarun, who moved to India from England, has been working in the field of environmental engineering for over six years now. He has worked as a consultant on several projects related to floating wetlands as well as constructed wetlands. He is planning to conduct a series of workshops in Delhi, where he will teach more people how to make the water purifying floating wetlands. He hopes that his floating wetlands help urban water bodies across India breathe freely again.
Also ReadThis Ecological Miracle in Kolkata Is Also the World’s Largest Organic Sewage Management System!

4. Fly Ash

[caption id="attachment_87912" align="aligncenter" width="585"] Fly Ash bricks[/caption]
Photo Source
In 2016, students of Bengaluru's CMR Institute of Technology won a gold medal at the Indian International Innovation Fair for their project on the use of fly ash to treat industrially polluted water or waterbodies like Bellandur lake or Varthur lake. It also offered a solution to another problem plaguing Bengaluru - overflowing plastic garbage. A byproduct of coal combustion in thermal power plants and cement factories, fly ash can be used to treat Bengaluru's polluted lakes and can be combined with plastic waste to manufacture flexible composite bricks. The students based their experiment on the ability of fly ash to absorb heavy matter and organic matter present in a solution. When they tested this with a sample of water from Bellandur Lake, they found that foul, brown-black water became clear and did not smell anymore. A simple filtration then separated the fly ash and other pollutants from water. While it is a promising solution, more research is needed to make it viable on a large scale. However, it is suitable for smaller purposes like treating industrial effluents. The team has already signed an agreement with a textile manufacturer to use this method to treat effluents.

5. Community Lake Festivals

[caption id="attachment_87907" align="aligncenter" width="750"] Revived Lakes such as the one in Kaikondrahalli is a classic examples of how citizens' participation can work wonders.[/caption]
Photo Source
With careful management, lakes can be converted into recreational centres, with boating activities, walkways and benches for visitors. Lakes sustain crucial ecological biodiversity and provide an important recreational space for residents of an increasingly concretised city. Lakes such as the one in Kaikondrahalli on Sarjapura Road in Bengaluru is a classic examples of how citizens' participation can work wonders. By 2009, the Kaikondrahalli lake was home to as much sewage as water and had been reduced to an eyesore. That's when residents of the neighbourhood decided to get together, work with BBMP and revive the lake. The lake was dredged, encroachments were removed, sewage water was diverted away from the lake, plantation drives were organized and walkways were built to bring communities together and ensure that citizens were directly involved with the efforts to help keep the lake alive. After 16 months of hard work, the group finally began seeing signs of revival in the water body. When corporate and community funding for the monthly maintenance of the lake began drying up, the residents organised a 42-km full marathon to raise funds for the upkeep of the lake. The campaign went so viral that the team managed to rake up nearly Rs 3.3 lakh to keep the lake maintenance work going for at least a few more months. Now, after rejuvenation and continuous upkeep, Kaikondrahalli Lake and its surroundings, which is close to Bellandur, has turned into a hotspot for photography, bird watching and nature walks. As for the current environmental crisis at Bellandur Lake, here's how you can help: For a while now, one resident, Sanchita Jha, a techie in the city, has taken it upon herself to crusade for the cause of the Bellandur lake. Through a Change.org petition, she has demanded that the state government and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah respond to the situation immediately as the city sits on the cusp of a crisis. To sign the petition, click here
You May LikeHow Three Startups Are Using Innovative Methods to Clean and Restore River Ganga

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In Their 50s, This Couple Cycled 1,000 Km in 10 Days to Spread an Important Message

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When it comes to waste management in India, there is little knowledge about how to do it. But Sanjeeta Singh Negi and Piyush Shah, both in their fifties, have pledged to create awareness in an innovative way among the masses. The duo cycled for 10 days from Gandhi Ashram in Sabarmati, Ahmedabad, to reach Rajghat in Delhi. From January 2 to January 11, they cycled about 100 km everyday, halting at places where they could conduct programmes to talk about effective ways to manage waste.

Sanjeeta believes in recycling and reducing waste herself, instead of depending on waste pickers.

cycling2 Although the two faced some problems during their 10-day journey — traffic, undulating hills, tire punctures, and cold wind — it did not discourage them in any way. They were on a mission, and their message was simple: segregate waste at the source using two bins (dry waste and wet waste). Dry waste must be given to waste pickers, and kitchen waste should be turned into manure through the method of composting. The two enthusiasts insist that there is no need to throw out every single thing that appears to be waste or junk, and here’s what they strongly advocate: The process of recycling is an effective alternative, rather than dumping the waste outside homes. Almost 70 percent of the total household waste comes from the kitchen, hence, turning kitchen waste into manure is a much better option.

Dry leaves help in the compost process, which is an added benefit to the environment. Also, composters are available, which makes the process of composting much easier.

cycling1 Sanjeeta and Piyush received an overwhelming response from people after their talks and discussions at different stops during their journey. For example, the municipality of Himmatnagar was so impressed by their solutions for solid waste management, it vowed to follow the exact process. The two visited also visited schools like Green Apple Public School in Himmatnagar and Maharan Mewar Public School in Udaipur and spoke to the students on the subject. They even tried to raise awareness at corporate bodies like ESS KAY FINCORP Private Limited and Pernod Ricard India Private Limited.

A positive mindset and the thirst to bring about a change in society is what drove the duo to set out on their awe-inspiring journey.

cycling3 Depending on ourselves to do something easy is so much better than leaving it on others, they say. The two are still on a mission: to spread their story to the youth and make India more knowledgeable about proper waste management. (Written by Sudeshna Dutta)

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Agriculture Dept Comes to the Rescue, Will Convert Bengaluru’s Waste Into Manure for Farmers

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Bengaluru’s long-running struggle with waste management comes one step closer to a sustainable solution. The state’s Agriculture Department has offered to collect the city’s garbage and convert it to compost.

The compost will be distributed to farmers across Karnataka for subsidized rates.

[caption id="attachment_88557" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Image for representation. Source: Flickr[/caption] The announcement was made by Agriculture minister C. Krishna Byregowda. The scheme is a joint collaboration between Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), Karnataka Compost Development Corporation (KCDC) and the Agriculture Department. The distribution will be launched on pilot basis in the three districts of Kolar, Chikkaballapura and Ramanagara.
“If the initiative proves to be a success, then BBMP and KCDC will scale up the production of organic manure. It will help solve the problem of garbage disposal in Bengaluru city,” the minister told Deccan Herald.
To be part of the initiative, farmers in the applicable districts will have to register themselves with their local Raitha Samparka Kendras. The compost will be delivered to the farmers directly in a week or fortnight. While the usual cost of converting 1 tonne of garbage is around Rs 1,600, the manure will be distributed to farmers at a reduced price of ₹800.
You might also like: This Innovative Soil-Less System Could Be an Answer to Every Farmer's Woes
The BBMP has become increasingly stringent abut waste segregation and management, but struggles with a number of challenges, including reluctance among citizens and excess compost. Up to 350 tonnes of mixed waste is sent for manure conversion daily at KCDC’s Bomanhalli composting yard. The corporation presently stocks almost 5,500 tonnes of converted compost, and the government will initiate awareness drives for farmers to procure these fertilizers. Many parts of Karnataka have been severely affected by drought, including Kolar and Chikkaballapura districts. With the government constructing over 1,00,000 agriculture ponds across the state to aid farmers, the subsidized compost may serve to boost the soil capacity.

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These 12-Year-Old Boys Managed to Collect & Recycle over 1 Tonne of Dry Waste in One Month!

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A group of 12-year-old boys studying in different schools has taken up the mission “Think and Throw”, wherein they urge people to segregate wet & dry waste and collect dry waste for recycling. Children are rightfully regarded as the future of humankind. But some children decide not to wait for tomorrow and take the present into their own hands to make a difference.

The members of the Robotronics Club, Ahmedabad, are among those children. The team of ten 12-year-old boys studying in different schools has taken up the mission of improving dry waste management in the city.

Started in 2015 with the objective of encouraging students in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) subjects, the Robotronics Club conducts weekly activities for its young members. At the beginning of this year, 10students from the club decided to participate in a US-based competition called “Trash Trek.” The competition’s theme for the year was based on recycling, and students had to come up with innovative ideas for recycling and waste management relevant to their native place. The team’s research brought to light some crucial points: They found that of the 4,800 metric tonnes of dry waste created in Ahmedabad, only 20% was recycled, and the residents’ habit of not segregating wet and dry waste was one of the biggest reasons behind this.
Also read: TBI Blogs: How Garbage Transformed an IT Engineer Into an Accidental Activist
“As they studied more, they became restless and expressed the wish todo something about it. We all sat together and they came up with the plan of action, which included things ranging from actually collecting waste & giving it for recycling to preparing songs and skits for awareness creation,” says Monal Shah. Monal is a creative fashion consultant, who founded the club seeing the lack of STEM activities in schools.
The team consisting of 10 students: Aaman Shah, Aarav Savla, Vir Gandhi, Param Adani, Armaan Somani, Ridansh Agarwal, Shaurya Goenka, Maanit Shah, Aahan Mehta and Ishan Patel decided to name their initiative “Think and Throw.”

The initiative began in the students’ residential societies. They convinced their parents and neighbours to segregate waste.

They visited the recycling company Let’s Recycle and teamed up with it to recycle the waste they had collected. Soon the response grew and they decided to extend the initiative to a school. With the encouragement from the team, over 800 students of Anand Niketan Satellite School became a part of Think and Throw and started segregating waste in their school as well as homes. The club’s members would collect the dry waste themselves and give it for recycling. Within 20 days of starting the initiative, they had managed to collect and recycle over 1 tonne of dry waste.
“The idea is to not treat trash as a trash, but as treasure. If we think even for a second before throwing waste, that small gesture can make our planet clean and green. Our small initiative is an example of what could happen if we throw wisely, how much carbon emission could be avoided. We even collected Rs 20,000 rupees from the waste recycling and gave it for the skill development of children with special needs,” says the team.
Aside from the waste-management initiatives in residential societies and schools, the club members also organise drives to create awareness. They have written a street play highlighting the importance of waste segregation and the plight of rag pickers, who suffer gravely because of the presence of hazardous material in the trash. The students perform the play along with some songs that they have composed at different locations to catch people’s attention.
Also read: This Company Has a Make-In-India Solution to the Global Problem of Overflowing Landfills
To know more about The Robotronics Club Ahmedabad, visit its Facebook page here.

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This Popular Indian Blogger Is Showing How Trash Can Turn Into Jewellery

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What can you do with a stainless steel scrub pad, besides giving your utensils a thorough scouring? Are mops meant to do any more than cleaning? Everyday objects have a way of landing up in the trash can once their primary objective has been achieved. But Aanchal Sukhija ponders over these small objects, transforming them into pieces of wearable art.

The popular blogger from Delhi has been in the news lately for creating a new line of jewellery from routine household objects, which was showcased in New York.

Since she started blogging four years ago, Aanchal has made a name for herself in the fashion industry. As a contributor of the Delhi Style Blog, her quirky, dramatic style has caught the attention of many, and the 25-year-old’s new venture is a happy mix of her multifarious interests. “I feel guilty about my carbon footprint. With Mission Pluto I am trying to do my bit,” she says about her new line of sustainable jewellery that was recently showcased at New York Fashion Week. Mission Pluto is named after the planet that was downgraded (in the face of a lot of protest) from its planet status a few years ago.
You might also like: These Indian Designers Are Showing the World That Fashion Can Be Eco-Friendly, Ethical & Sustainable
“For me Pluto is anything that we ended up losing on our way, things we ignore, things we don't care about, things we fail to look at from a different eye....things we don't give second chance," says Aanchal. Her jewellery line is certainly about giving a makeover to the things we often ignore, and offering them a new lease of life.

Aanchal’s choice of material is diverse—AC foam, stainless steel scrubs, scouring pads, kajal dibbis, plumbing ad washer pipes and mops.

Aanchal deconstructs these mundane objects and tacks them in a variety of chains, necklaces and earrings. The result is a set of unique jewellery that does not hide the commonplace characteristics of the objects, but rather elevates them to showcase a new side. “It's a collaboration between the material and me,” Aanchal says. “Instead of looking at things, I want to look between the lines—read between the words. The most important things are left unsaid and unheard there!” Foam and steel scrubbers are crafted into layered necklaces and earrings, while PVC pipes are broken down and remade into industrial-inspired jewellery. Made by hand, these pieces may be inspired by daily objects, but there’s almost nothing dull about the finished products.
“The idea was to find beauty in the most mundane things,” says the young designer. “There is no challenge in finding beauty in what's already beautiful...the challenge is to find it in things we label. You know, for example Scotch Brite (a popular Indian scrub pad brand) is labelled for cleaning dirt and that's that. It’s where the story ends—plumber pipes are for conveyance of water and gas in commercial environments and that's that. But that's not where the story ends I think that's where the story starts.”
Eclectic, dramatic and attention grabbing, the jewellery is a means of transforming these household basics into conversation starters.
You might also like: At 18, She Ran Away From Home to Avoid Marriage. Now, This Designer Showcases at NY Fashion Week!
The making of jewellery is a great drain on natural resources, and many brands around the world have now turned their attention to sustainable jewellery whose materials are ethnically sourced. Yet it is often indie designers like Aanchal who hit the bull’s eye.

The designs were showcased at NYFW in a special collaboration between Aanchal and designer Vaishali S.

Aanchal who is currently dividing her time between New York and California, creates her jewellery specifically keeping the environmental impact and the inherent challenges of her raw materials in mind. Pipes and pads are not produced with the intention of being made into jewellery—their reinterpretation takes times and effort and it keeps the creator motivated.
“Limitations are awesome ...I think they are a stimulant,” she says. “I am intrigued with the idea that you could do more with less. If you were told to make something with hundreds of things and the other using five things, you would have to be more inventive with five. That's exactly what I do— the rules are the same, the limitations I give myself with the materials, but within that the potential seems endless.”
Aanchal thinks of her venture with Mission Pluto as a new humble beginning from her journey as a blogger. Much like the objects which gives a new perspective with her singular unusual perspective on design. To know more about Mission Pluto or get in touch with Aanchal, click here.

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How to Have an Eco-Friendly yet Chic Wedding? We Have 10 Simple & Awesome Decor Ideas

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Earlier this February, Goa announced that it may be considering imposing restrictions — and a ban in some cases — on beach weddings. Hosting 800 big weddings a year, the state’s coastline is reportedly left littered and its vegetation damaged by the constant stream of travellers and festivities.

Weddings are a time for celebration, but the grand spectacles can come at great cost to the environment.

Image for representation. Source: Wikipedia
From exotic flowers to a mini avalanche of thermocol and plastic, an array of decorative items end up straight in the trash after the marriage is solemnised. As sustainable, vegan and zero-waste become the new buzzwords at weddings, it is becoming increasingly necessary to take an eco-friendly approach to decor. Here's what you can do.

1. Say no to thermocol and plastic

A wooden banner. Image source: Creative Commons
Theromocol decorations are commonly used for setting up decor, and almost inevitably end up in the trash after the ceremony. Instead, check with your decorators whether they recycle their decoration supplies. Chances are they do, as simple cost-effective measures if nothing else. Some alternatives for thermocol are recyclable fabrics or even burlap. Replace flexiboards with cloth or recycled wooden banners.
You might also like: Organizing a Green, Eco-Friendly Wedding Is as Easy as This!

2. Minimise floral decoration

Steer clear of flowers, like the Bengaluru couple Sowmya Reddy and Abhishek Raje. Their 2015 wedding grabbed headlines for its zero-waste policy, and the only flowers used at the wedding were garlands and floral bunches for the bride and groom.

3. Stick to local blooms

Locally-sourced decorations. Image source: Wikipedia
If you must use flowers, eschew imported blossoms for locally-sourced floral decorations. Seasonal flowers sourced from small-time vendors or directly from farmers will also be a means of supporting local growers and suppliers.

4. Recycle, reuse, repeat

Check with your florist for availability of reusable fabric flowers to substitute the natural blooms. They look remarkably realistic, and are far more sustainable than fresh floral decorations.

6. Reinvent floral waste

Incense sticks made from floral waste. Image source: Facebook
In Delhi, the Society for Child Development runs AVACYAM, a programme that converts disposed flowers into natural Holi colours. Mumbai-based Nikhil Gampa runs Green Wave, which converts floral waste into incense sticks. If these ventures seem out of reach, check up on composting plans at your local waste management authorities.

7. Go easy on lights

Lighting may be beautiful, but it’s also a tremendous drain on resources. A daytime ceremony can be officiated with natural light. For night time ceremonies, look for eco-friendly candles or solar-powered lights that are more energy efficient.

8. Try your hand at DIY

Handmade decorations. Image source: Pixabay
Do-it-yourself weddings are a rage in the West and gradually emerging in India too. DIY doesn’t mean that you have to look at every detail, but take up a few projects. Create your own banners and buntings or put together a recycled backdrop for the stage.
You might also like: A Bengaluru-Based Startup Is Promoting Eco-Friendly Wedding Invitations & They Are Terrific!

9. Host a garden party

Not literally a party in the garden, but potted plants — especially the flowering and succulent varieties — can make for chic substitutes to conventional wedding decoration

10. Clean up afterwards

Take help from local waste management initiatives to utilize the waste left behind. In Bengaluru, Hasiru Dala — a waste management initiative — assists with planning weddings with minimal wastage and effective, sustainable solutions. You can also engage family and friends to help with cleaning up the place afterwards, particularly for destination and outdoor. It’s a far cry from glamorous, but imagine the difference it can make to the venue!

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7 Easy Ways You Can Replace Plastic in Your Daily Life With Eco-Friendly Options

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Jharkhand has become the newest Indian state to initiate a ban on polythene bag usage. Plastic is ubiquitous in our lives — not only as bags, it is found in our utensils, household items, and sometimes even in consumer goods. As we come to terms with the adverse effects of plastic consumption, the need to switch to a healthier way of living has become more acute than ever. If you are just getting started on giving up plastic, here are some simple everyday alternatives to consider.

1. Swap polythene for cloth

Foldable cloth bags from Smallsteps. Source: Facebook
In varied shapes and sizes, polythene bags are the biggest perpetrators of plastic waste. Despite blanket bans in many states, and citizen movements, these bags continue to be in use. What are the alternatives? Cloth bags are reusable, as are bags made from jute, burlap or even recycled plastic. SmallSteps Bags is a social enterprise spearheaded by Upasana Studio, which engages disadvantaged women in creating handmade cloth bags. The profits are shared by artisans and contributed to poor village schools too.

2. Bottle up

Eco-friendly glass bottles. Source: Flickr
It’s common for us to buy bottled water when we are outdoors or travelling. These bottles are either trashed or end up being reused at home — both equally damaging to the environment and our health. Switch to glass bottles, which don’t contain Bisphenol A (BPA), an industrial chemical used in certain plastics, and are thus less likely to affect users with harmful toxins. Heavy as they are, glass bottles are not the best bet for travelling. Try stainless steel bottles and make sure that there is no plastic coating inside the bottles.

3. Serveware with care

Sustainable serveware by Pappco. Source: Facebook
Melamine dinnerware is ubiquitous in households today, but studies have testified to their toxic properties and their non-recyclability. Instead, use glass, ceramic or good old stainless steel. Disposable serveware — usually made of plastic — has a way of sneaking into households. Commonly used during parties, you can replace those with more eco-conscious choices. Check out Pappco, which makes serveware from sugarcane, or Bakey’s whose millet-based cutlery is actually edible.
You might also like: Make Your Parties Eco-Friendly by Switching From Disposables to Dinnerware on Rent

4. Keep takeaway containers at bay

Make way for eco-friendly containers. Source: Pixabay
With a burgeoning culture of eating out and takeaways, our homes are filling up with plastic containers that have little sustainability beyond a few uses. Recycle and reuse, but a better alternative is to carry your own containers for takeaways. It might raise a few eyebrows, but many takeaway counters will hardly mind.
You might also like: This Woman Entrepreneur Makes Eco-Friendly Tableware From Plant Biomass to Fight the Plastic Menace
 

5. Stick not to Teflon

Steel utensils make for sustainable cooking. Source: Pexels
Non-stick cookware has changed kitchens in recent years, but the iconic Teflon coating is little more than a synthetic layer on cookware that can adversely affect the quality of food. With increasing concerns about the quality of food cooked on Teflon-coated ware, people are reverting to old-fashioned utensils and slow cookers.

6. Sealed pouches and cling film

Biodegradable bags by Envigreen. Source: Facebook
From vegetables to stationery, an array of household items is stored in zip pouches and cling wraps. Eco-friendly cling wraps are at an infantile stage in India, but you can use alternative container bags. Try Envigreen, whose seemingly plastic bags are made from tapioca and make for animal fodder when trashed.

7. Conscious household items

Detergents in recycled PET bottles. Source: Facebook
A variety of household items, from household cleaners to skincare products come in plastic bottles and pouches. With few eco-friendly alternatives, these can be surprisingly hard to combat and require a spot of DIY as well. But there are options—Project Auric, a cleaning agent manufactured by village women in Haryana, comes in recycled PET bottles.
You might also like: This Popular Indian Blogger Is Showing How Trash Can Turn Into Jewellery
Opt for eco-friendly soaps and personal care products. Companies like The Body Shop and M.A.C let customers bring used bottles to be refilled at stores. Look for homegrown brands like SaND for Soapaholics that offer artisanal soaps without plastic packaging or make your own—reetha and henna continue to be popular among Indians. Check out Smallsteps Bags on their website. For more on Envigreen, click here and shop Pappco products on their website. To get in touch with the Project Auric team, click here and check out SaND for Soapaholics on their website.

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TBI Blogs: Learn How a Village in UP Is Cleaning up Menstrual Waste Sustainably – With a Home-Based Solution!

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Menstruation and menstrual waste are still taboo topics in many parts of India, especially in rural areas. Amidst this environment, a small village in Uttar Pradesh has taken a huge progressive towards dealing with menstrual waste and raising awareness about menstruation. Puja Awasthi explores further. In a country of 350 million menstruating women and girls, soiled sanitary napkins lying by the roadside are a common sight. This has collectively inspired us to turn a blind eye towards the existence of used sanitary napkins in our ecosystem. People from Papna Mau, a small village located on the outskirts of Lucknow, collectively decided to use locally devised sustainable methods of sanitary napkin-disposal to tackle the growing mounds of menstrual waste. By taking this small step, the village ensured cleaner surroundings, and also blunted the persistent shame and taboos associated with menstruation in our country. Sheela Singh, 27, proudly points towards the covered earthen pot kept in a corner of her house’s terrace. “This remarkable small pot is lined with dried leaves and works as a low-cost incinerator into which all the menstruating females in the family throw their used sanitary pads. Once full, the waste is doused with some oil and set alight. The holes prevent a crack in the pot while letting in air. The resultant ash is then disposed off without fear of attracting undue attention,” explains Singh.
Singh, who is currently pursuing a graduate degree, remembers the time when she was forced to skip school during menstruation. “My mother told us to stay at home at it was difficult to manage periods. If only we could have thought of such simple innovative solutions for our problems then,” she says.
Sunita Kanojia, 42, has tweaked the incinerator design to suit her needs. She just finished shaping a bigger mud incinerator, as she has a big family. The incinerator sits under a shed in her courtyard. “Imagine how far we have come. There was a time when my husband resisted even the construction of a toilet in our house,” she says.

In most of the houses, incinerators are kept outside the toilet window, through which used napkins can be dropped directly.

[caption id="attachment_87879" align="aligncenter" width="4608"] Sheela Singh with the low-cost incinerator at her terrace.[/caption] Until now, Papna Mau’s preferred modes of disposal were throwing used menstrual absorbents in local water bodies or burying them in the ground, making them a permanent part of the ecosystem. Though large-scale burning of sanitary napkins leads to toxic emissions, such home-based simple mud incinerators seem like a lesser evil. At a macro level, lack of clarity on menstrual waste disposal mechanisms has been a persistent challenge for policy makers and civil society practitioners. Sanitary napkins are technically classified as ‘biomedical waste’, and should be collected and disposed of appropriately. However, due to inherent logistical challenges, menstrual waste is usually clubbed with other household waste. According to the existing Solid Waste Management Rules, “every waste generator shall wrap securely the used sanitary waste like diapers, sanitary pads, etc., in the pouches provided by the manufacturers or brand owners of these products, or in a suitable wrapping material as instructed by the local authorities, and shall place the same in the bin meant for dry waste or non-biodegradable waste”. Independent organisations have suggested that menstrual waste be indicated by a big red dot for the benefit of waste workers who routinely handle such waste with bare hands, and thus expose themselves to the considerable risk of contracting infections.

Experts also suggest that a permanent solution to the challenge would be to shift to using more eco-friendly sanitary products, which would be easier to dispose of and also offer protection from the harmful chemicals that are used in the production of sanitary napkins.

[caption id="attachment_87882" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Sunita Kanojia with her mud incinerator.[/caption] Papna Mau has taken a lead in menstruation conversation. Women and girls are no longer compelled to hide used sanitary pads, or sneak out under the cover of darkness to dispose of them. They are free from the unhealthy pressure of using as few pads as possible. Papna Mau is a cleaner village and is rid of waste that was never even acknowledged. Most importantly, menstruation is no longer the taboo it once was. Women in the village now gather to speak about their menstruation-related experiences in the centrally located Anganwadi. The men sit outside, waiting to share their views on various related aspects like safe disposal. In a country where women prefer silence when it comes to topics like menstruation, this is a remarkable change. Dinesh Kumar Yadav, 30, speaks of the time when men would utter curses on spotting sanitary napkins. “It took some time, but men in the village are now convinced that blaming women is not the solution. I even tell my wife to worship during her periods, but she is hesitant,” he says. “Like other village men, I even go to the local shop and buy sanitary napkins,” says Yadav. Papna Mau touches the state capital Lucknow, and is a mix of rural and urban characteristics. The population has sustained livelihood, and is moderately educated. “The challenge was to sell the idea that there are better ways of living. To change the ‘we know best’ mindset was the toughest challenge,” said Anju Vats, field worker. The intervention in Papna Mau followed a two-pronged approach. In addition to devising better disposal methods, adequate supply of sanitary products was ensured. The change agents (or ‘titliyan’ as they are known under the programme) were identified and trained to sell the product.

This helped tackle the shame that came from asking a male shopkeeper for sanitary napkins.

[caption id="attachment_87885" align="aligncenter" width="4640"] Rita Gautam is a proud change agent.[/caption] Rita Gautam, 16, is one such depot manager. “My mother was not at home, and sanitary napkins were not available at any of the shops in the village. I faced so much discomfort and embarrassment. I do not want other girls to face the same distress,” says Gautam, who offers advice on disposal with every pack she sells. She shared that some men in the village too come to get the product. “Menstruation is the first reproductive right of women. How it is dealt with sets the template for future empowerment,” explains Dr. Neelam Singh, Chief Functionary of Vatsalya, WaterAid India’s partner organisation. By this simple measure, Papna Mau’s female population is treading the right path. (The author is a Lucknow-based independent journalist who reports on social justice and politics from North India. She is currently a fellow with the Population Reference Bureau, Women’s Edition Asia.) To support WaterAid India and contribute to its efforts, visit the website.

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This Low-Cost Technology Is Helping a Puducherry Village Treat Its Wastewater, and It Uses Plants!

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In recent years, several Indian villages have embarked upon a journey of sustainable transformation that causes as little impact on the environment as possible. One such village is Chinna Kalapet in Puducherry, a sleepy little fishing hamlet that is setting an example by treating its wastewater the eco-friendly way. Based on an innovative technology designed by Professor S.A. Abbasi from Pondicherry University, Chinna Kalapet's low-cost wastewater treatment plant (called SHEFROL bioreactor) uses aquatic plants to absorb chemicals, pathogens and microorganisms from wastewater, making it fit for irrigation purposes.
Photo Source
In 2005, Prof. Abbasi was working to develop an eco-friendly, inexpensive, and simple technology for waste water treatment when he came up with the idea of SHEFROL (which stands for sheet flow root level). With the help of university colleagues, S Gajalakshmi and Tasneem Abbasi, he carried out several experiments to fine tune the technology before setting up a pilot plant on the university campus. A SHEFROL plant treats wastewater using two aquatic plants - four leaf clover, and water hyacinth - that act as natural agents of phytoremdiation. Used for in-situ removal of contaminants in the environment, the term 'phytoremediation' comes from the Greek word for plants ('phyto').
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In this innovative system, the wastewater flows as a thin sheet through the roots of select aquatic plants in specially designed trenches made from plastic sheets. As the plants grow, thriving on the waste, they continuously detoxify the water. As a result of the intensive 'water-root-microorganism' contact made in these units, over 80 % of wastewater treatment is completed quickly (in about 2 hours) as compared to 2 days or more needed in other systems. The treated, turbidity-free water can then be used for irrigation in farms and gardens. No foul smell emanates from the water treatment plant, which doesn't use any kind of chemical. A simple system, it can be set up or dismantled easily as well as scaled up or scaled down as per need.
Photo Source
What also makes it a great option for villages, colonies or even large suburbs is the fact that it makes use of gravity and the topography, thus doing away with the requirement of pumping water. A small difference in fluid head between the inlet and outlet guarantees the constant flow of water in and out of the system. With the cost of the pilot plant Prof. Abbasi set up on campus coming to only ₹ 600, SHEFROL also proved to be an inexpensive technology. Encouraged by its easy and efficient way of functioning, Pondicherry University soon set up SHEFROL plants in several places, in and around the campus. SHEFROL was also certified as a novel and patentable technology after independent trials and tests were conducted on it by the Department of Science & Technology, Department of Biotechnology and Centre for Development of Advanced Computing. In 2011, supported financially by the Department of Biotechnology, SHEFROL's patent claim was registered and published in the Official Journal of The Patent Office, India. It remains undisputed. In 2014, a SHEFROL plant was set up in Chinna Kalapet by PhD. student of Pondicherry University, Ashraf Bhat, as part of his thesis work with the guidance of Assistant Professor Tasneem Abbasi. Till then, water used to stagnate in the area where wastewater from the houses was let out, leading to the breeding of mosquitoes.
Photo Source
The SHEFROL plant was set up to remedy this civic problem. Every day, grey water (house-hold sewage) from 38 houses is fed into the plant that has a capacity of 10,000 litres. Costing only around ₹ 15,000, the plant consists of a sedimentation tank and channels created by sand bags placed in pits. This is covered by a non-permeable sheet that ensures wastewater does not seep into the ground as aquatic plants grow on top of it. The low-maintenance plant (the villagers took just a day to learn how to operate and maintain it) takes only six hours to treat the wastewater, which is then used to irrigate a Casuarina plantation in the village. The inventors of SHEFROL want more places in India to take up this robust, efficient and inexpensive green technology. They point out the fact that when compared to conventional wastewater treatment systems, SHEFROL has several advantages - a standard Sewage Treatment Plant costs around ₹50 lakh to set up and maintain whereas an eco-friendly SHEFROL plant of same capacity can be set up for as little as ₹ 20,000, with efficiency in both cases being almost similar! Also, even though this technology has been patented, they are offering free transfer of technology to communities, just like how it has been done in Chinna Kalapet. Their team is also working to create a complete inventory of non-commercial aquatic plants that are commonly available in different regions of India. This will help in enabling the SHEFROL technology to be used anywhere. Perfected over a period of 12 years, SHEFROL is an eco-friendly technology that may hold the answer to rural India's wastewater management concerns. Sarvam, a Tamil Nadu-based NGO, is already working to install SHEFROL plants in several villages in the state while several European and Middle-Eastern nations have expressed their interest in implementing this system in their countries. For details, click here.
Also ReadThis Ecological Miracle in Kolkata Is Also the World’s Largest Organic Sewage Management System!

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Learn the Art of Composting in Your Home & Watch Your Kitchen Waste Turn to Wealth

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Our garbage problems have become so big that TS Eliot’s famous poem, The Wasteland, could well be taken literally. As plastic sinks into oceans and landfills are choked with sanitary waste, it’s time to take responsibility for our waste and pave way for solutions. While authorities struggle with the vast amount of garbage generated daily, citizen action can go a long way in effective waste management.

Composting is one of the simplest ways of contributing positively to waste management, and one you can easily do at home.

Homemade compost for kitchen gardens. Image source: Pixabay
Before we go further, what is composting? It is the process of creating compost — decayed organic matter that can be used as manure in farms and gardens. While large-scale composting is undertaken by municipal authorities, it is also extremely simple to execute at home.
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Many urban dwellers are hesitant to try their hand at composting primarily due to the lack of space in contemporary homes and apartments. Terraces barely hold a patch of green and a garden is a real luxury. There are also questions about odour, bugs and worms, all of which contribute to making composting seem far more complex than it really is. If you are planning to take your first steps towards composting, here’s what you have to do.

Get a container

An indoor composting container by Eco Bin. Source: Facebook
If you are absolutely new to composting, a ready compost container will ease the preparatory process. Try aerobic composting (decomposition of organic matter via microorganisms that require oxygen) with Orbin or try Eco Bin, which incorporates Bokashi, an anaerobic Japanese method of composting.
Vijay Satish, head of business operations at Eco Bin, says, “Composting requires favourable weather conditions, and the Bokashi process is temperature-controlled. The Bokashi juice derived from the composting process enhances soil conditions greatly. Most of our users are organic farming enthusiasts
For DIY-loving waste managers, there’s always the option of creating your own bin. Pick a mid-sized to big bin — preferably with a lid — so that you can keep adding food waste and organic matter over a longer period. Drill a few holes around the container to allow air circulation. Line the lid with newspapers or add a filter to keep bugs and odour at bay.

Find your space

Indoor composting. Source: Flickr
The best places to start composting are outdoor spaces, like your terrace or roof. With sunlight and natural moisture, the compost pit is likely to function more efficiently. When you are really strapped for space, the easiest place to start is your kitchen. Countertop composting can be started on your tabletop or sink, which in turn can be given to your local composting authorities or used as plant nutrients. Contrary to popular opinion, having a composting unit close to your household’s rooms is no issue at all. Sheela Shah who manages Waste Wise Bangalore with her son Viren and drives waste management initiatives in her community throws light on her own experiences. “My composting unit (incidentally, a plain plastic bucket) is set up in my balcony. People sometimes worry about maggots in such units making their way into the house, but we have never faced such issues. Nor have our neighbours or guests complained,” she says.

Gather your waste

Compostable waste. Source: Pixabay
The right ingredients are crucial to the success of your composting efforts. While the difference between wet and dry wastes have been established to some extent, many are still not aware of what kind of food waste goes into a compost bin. Raw foods and peels are ideal — bones, dairy, rice and wheat products can take longer to decompose and sometimes attract bugs. Uncoated paper can be added to compost bins too. Layer your food waste with cocopeat or dry organic waste such as leaves and sawdust (from natural wood only). The cocopeat helps with enhancing the nutrient value, as do dry leaves. These can also help with odour control. You can also use ready-to-use kits, made available by waste management startups like Daily Dump (which also offers earthenware composting containers) or local composting organisations.

Maintaining your compost bin

Image source: Flickr
An average family of four yields approximately half a kilo of food waste every day, all ready materials for a compost bin. It is an organic process and easier than you think.
“The first day may seem time-consuming, but once you get used to it, composting is as easy as making your daily cup of tea,” says Sheela. I have made it a habit to add our waste to the bin every morning, covering it with two handfuls of cocopeat and dry leaves. You can leave it as it is and go about your work and daily activities. You can even go travelling without having to worry about the bin.”
Anaerobic processes like Bokashi allow fermentation in a more controlled environment and are even simpler.
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It can take a few weeks or even up to three months for composting to show results. You will get a dark, earthy, crumbling mess that can be used as fertilizer for your very own garden — or make for a conscious gift for green-thumbed family members and friends. As Sheela puts it, composting takes some getting used to but it is an incredibly rewarding experience. Check out Eco Bin on its official website. To know more about Waste Wise Bangalore, head to their Facebook page or get in touch with Sheela and Viren here.

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Underprivileged Women in Chandigarh Upcycle Dry Waste to Make a Living, Thanks to These Students

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Project Navriddhi in Chandigarh aims to kill two birds with one stone: offer a source of income to women from underprivileged backgrounds and tackle the issue of dry waste in the city through upcycling. On a small tarpaulin-clad platform in Sector 25 of Chandigarh, a group of women is busy working on different things simultaneously. Some are sorting used cardboard from the heap of waste paper, some are busy painting glow lamps made from used glass bottles, and one woman is busy teaching some newbies the crafty skill of making a lampshade. An innovative project is taking shape.

Navriddhi, a project by Enactus GGDSD College (Goswami Ganesh Dutta S.D. College), is not only helping women from underprivileged backgrounds earn a livelihood, but is also tackling the problem of dry waste management through the means of upcycling.

The college student-run not-for-profit organisation has engaged over 25 women from the slum area to make different products like lamps, lanterns, lampshades, diyas and papier mâché products using waste material like plastic and glass bottles, cardboard, and waste paper.
“When we were in the research phase for a new project, we realised that despite being one of the cleanest cities in the country, Chandigarh has no means to recycle its waste. As of now, we have space to dump waste in landfills, but what after the available space is filled with garbage? Nobody is thinking about the future. Therefore we decided to work on the problem of dry waste management,” says Sahil Sharma, founder member of Navriddhi.
The Enactus team discovered that an average of 350 tonnes of solid waste is generated in municipal corporation areas per day. The students then started to search for ways they themselves could contribute to solving the problem on an individual level. Their research brought forward some innovative upcycling techniques that could be used to turn dry waste into marketable products. Instead of engaging students, Enactus members decided to rope in women from slum areas, with the aim of creating a source of income for them in the process.
Also read: These 12-Year-Old Boys Managed to Collect & Recycle over 1 Tonne of Dry Waste in One Month!
“We talked to the slum dwellers in Sector 25 about our idea and soon realised that it wasn’t that easy. While some women came forward by themselves, convincing their families was very difficult. They didn’t want to allow the women to leave the house. So we set up a workshop in the slum itself, so the women would feel at home and the families wouldn’t have a reason to worry,” says Sahil.
And so the project began in January 2016. At first the students organised door-to-door waste-collection drives for dry waste. But they soon realised that by doing so, they were taking away the job of the kabaadiwalas and rag pickers. Therefore, they decided to buy the waste material from rag pickers and kabaadiwalas instead.

Since the inception of the project, Navriddhi has managed to upcycle over 300 kg of dry waste like cardboard and newspaper and has sold over 600 units of different upcycled products.

[caption id="attachment_91016" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Different products made by Navriddhi members[/caption] While the prices differ for different products, the women take home the entire amount, assures Sahil. A glow lamp made out of a discarded glass bottle is the most expensive product in their slate, which costs about Rs 150-200.
“We have had sales amounting to over Rs 1 lakh in the past one year, which has resulted in a straight 40% increase in the family incomes of the entrepreneurs. And the most important thing to note here is that the women aren’t working full time on this project. I’d say on an average, they only put in about 4 hours a week,” says Sahil.
In the beginning, the students would sell these products through door-to-door marketing. Now, they organise a weekend market in the Sector 18 of Chandigarh, where the women sell their products themselves.
“We are planning to rope in some experts and professionals, who would be able to train the women in making different products. We want to focus on making customised lighting for interior decoration and we are hoping that with the guidance from experts, we’ll be able to achieve the finesse in our products,” says Sahil.

Also read: TBI Blogs: Meet the 25-Year-Old Using Her Cooking Skills to Empower Underprivileged Women in Delhi
To know more about Navriddhi, visit its Facebook page here.

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These Brilliant Waterless and Odourless Urinals Help with Agriculture Too!

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Waterless and odour-free urinals developed by these IIT Delhi alumni serve two purposes for the environment: help save water and harvest urine for agriculture. Most toilets use 10 litres of water for a full flush and 6 litres for a low flush -- and that’s just a one-time usage. When we calculate the amount of water that literally goes down the drain every day in every house, the figures are worrying.

Uttam Banerjee, an IIT Delhi alumnus, has found a solution to reduce this tremendous water consumption: waterless urinals.

[caption id="attachment_91281" align="aligncenter" width="1457"] Zerodor Waterless Urinals[/caption] Director and CEO of social startup Ekam Eco Solutions, Banerjee has been working in the field of sanitation for the past four years, developing as well as marketing different environment-friendly technologies, one of which is Zerodor. The waterless and odourless urinal can save 50,000-1,51,000 litres of water per urinal each year.
“In his philosophy, Gandhi ji laid tremendous focus on management of three aspects: jal, thal and mal (water, land and waste). And it’s incredibly true. These three aspects, when thought of together, have an immense impact on our lives and therefore it is extremely important for us to manage these with caution,” says Uttam.
After completing his B Tech, he joined the corporate world and worked for a few years before joining IIT Delhi for his masters in industrial design. During his course, as he worked on different projects, he became interested in the field of sanitation. He draws his interest in sanitation from what he saw around him while growing up. Uttam comes from a small village that lies on the border between Jharkhand and West Bengal. Growing up, he stood witness to scarcity of water and rampant open defecation. The situation hasn’t changed much even today, he informs.
Also read: TBI Blogs: A Tin Body and a TT Ball Are All You Need to Create This Waterless Urinal
He found an associate and mentor in Vijayaraghavan M. Chariar, who is an associate professor at the Centre for Rural Development and Technology at IIT-D. Chariar, who is now chairman and director at Ekam, had submitted the concept and design of a waterless urinal as his PhD thesis.
“Since IIT is an academic institution, there wasn’t any possibility of commercialising this design and bringing it to the market, so it was shelved. However, it seemed a waste of such an incredible idea if it wasn’t put to use on a larger scale. Thus, Prof Chariar and I decided to develop on it and started Ekam,” says Uttam.
Uttam didn’t want to work on conventional sanitation systems but on ecological and sustainable systems, which is why the idea of waterless urinals grabbed his interest immediately.

Building on the research that was done already, Ekam Eco Solutions is now venturing into different territories, like using urine from waterless urinals for drip irrigation in agriculture.

“The thing is, when we use the flush, urine and water get mixed. All this lands up in the river bodies, whether treated or untreated. However, in a waterless urinal, what you get is pure urine and therefore it is possible to treat it to extract nutrients that could be extremely beneficial for the crops,” says Banerjee.
Uttam explains that there is no harm in using urine directly for the crops. The only thing to be take care of is, it should be applied to soil directly and while applying, it should not spill on leaves. Currently, Ekam Eco Solutions is using this technology as a pilot project at three different sites. The system has been installed at the National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Hyderabad and in the Rose Garden in Chandigarh. Soon, the company might implement it at other sites in Chandigarh.
Convincing people to switch to waterless urinals is one of the most difficult tasks, admits Uttam. “Using water doesn’t ensure that a urinal will be odour-free and clean. In fact, when urine mixes with water, it releases ammonia, which causes the foul smell. Flushing with water doesn’t make the urinal hygienic. However, it takes a lot of effort and explanation to make people believe that,” says Uttam.

Also read: Waterless and Zero-Waste: These Toilets Are Bringing A Sanitation Revolution in Rural India
Also, since water in India comes mostly free or at a very low cost, there’s no ‘money-saving’ factor involved that can attract Indians to waterless urinals.

Therefore, the only way that remains is to create awareness about the environment among people in order to make them understand the importance of the technology.

[caption id="attachment_91285" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Uttam Banerjee (left) and Prof Vijayaraghavan M. Chariar[/caption] Zerodor is a patented technology and its rights are with IIT-D. Ekam holds the rights to disseminate this technology nationally and internationally. Zerodor works on a mechanical system with a valve, which allows the urine to go through and blocks the ammonia present in the urine in the urinal pipe. It can be retrofitted in existing urinals and no chemicals are used, no electricity is required, which makes the kit low-maintenance. All that is to be done is to wash the urinal with running water once a day to keep it clean.
The company is also undertaking pilots for the Indian defence forces. “The Indian Navy has shown keen interest because they are looking at waterless urinal solutions for their submarines and warships. However, we are still in the research phase and are trying to develop a different prototype that’d suit the Navy’s needs,” says Uttam.
To know more about Ekam Eco Solutions, visit the official website here and the Faceboook page here.

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Garbage ATMs? These ‘Smart’ Dustbins Developed in Nashik Can Reward Users With Money!

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Four young men from Nashik came up with a unique idea in a bid to further their efforts to keep the country litter-free - maybe they could entice people into disposing waste in waste-bins if they could promise them rewards and money. They built smart automated waste-bins called the KRRYP Garbage ATM. The system actually has two dustbins and one LCD screen. Users will be provided with a card that has to be swiped for the dustbins to work. Once they have swiped it, the LCD screen will automatically ask the user a general knowledge question with two options as answers (for either of the bins). For instance, if the user thinks the right answer is Option B, then they will dispose their waste in the bin marked B.

Depending on whether their answer is accurate, they will collect points in their smart cards, which they can later trade for coupons or cash.

Image for representation. Photo source Speaking to The Hindu, Rahul Patil, one of the four students that developed the prototype while studying in Sandip Polytechnic, said that even though their product is only at the prototype stage, it already has many takers waiting for it to be available to the public. He notes, "People are eagerly waiting for this project to be fully implemented so that they can earn something while disposing of their garbage properly. We are searching for sponsors to help us implement our project in major Indian cities as early as possible."
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The four men have recently completed their diplomas in electrical engineering and are trying to suss out ways this can be implemented on a large scale. The team is working on bins that will be used for different kinds of waste and they envision it being used everywhere from bus stands to railway stations. The team can be contacted here

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In a Laudable Move, Maharashtra Will Convert Leftovers From Expressway Food Malls Into Manure

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Anyone who has travelled via the many highways of India would be immediately familiar with the hundreds of food malls and restaurants that line these roads, catering to a wide range of travellers. It is only fair to assume that these malls generate tonnes of waste on a daily basis, given the massive number of vehicles that traverse these roads.

Well, the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has announced it will convert the wet waste generated by food malls and plazas along the expressway into manure.

Image for representation. Photo source: Wikimedia  To that end, MSRDC has already put into motion plans to set up solid waste management and treatment plants that can turn wet waste into manure and authorities are in the process of inviting tenders from relevant and interested parties. In a report in Mid-Day, a senior MSRDC official has been quoted as saying, "We have invited tenders for the appointment of a contractor for supply, installation, testing and commissioning of the plants."
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Authorities are targeting four particular food malls along the expressway that together end up generating  500 to 1,100 kg waste every day. Additionally, they have also identified seven locations where treatment plants can be set up. The owners of these food malls will be requested to segregate their waste. The wet waste will be sent to treatment plants for conversion and the dry waste will be sent to landfills. The goal is to find an eco-friendly way to dispose of waste and the MSRDC is determined to achieve it.

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How to Purify & Recycle Wastewater From Your Home While Also Creating a Beautiful Garden!

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Human beings are recommended to drink 8-10 glasses of water every day. But our consumption of water isn’t limited simply to drinking it. Take a minute to observe your household. Washing clothes and utensils, mopping dishes, bathing — mundane tasks like these contribute to around 60% of the wastewater generated from households each day. Contrary to popular opinion, only some of this waste is unusable; the rest, known as greywater, can be efficiently recycled and reused.

Greywater refers specifically to the relatively clean wastewater that is generated from baths and sinks, washing machines and kitchen appliances.

Greywater can be purified through artificial reed beds in urban areas. Source: RainStock Also known as sullage, greywater comprises most of the wastewater produced by households on an everyday basis. However, it does not include sewage and wastewater from toilets, which fall under the category of black water. Greywater can be cleaned and utilised further for a variety of domestic use, says K. Sakthivel, founder and CEO of Rainstock, a Madurai-based water management firm specialising in rainwater harvesting and greywater recycling methods.
“Greywater can be cleaned and used for washing floors, cars and in some cases, even laundry,” he suggests. “However, we don’t recommend it for bathing, as even purified greywater will contain some amount of contaminants.”
While sewage treatment plants (STP) are being set up in many apartment buildings to put such wastewater to use, one can also take the botanical approach to reusing the water.
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Rainstock’s approach emphasizes on natural means of purification, having installed reed beed systems for residential buildings as well as hostels and offices. Sakthi draws attention to rivers, whose soil and reed beds have filtered flowing water over centuries. He says, “Traditionally, water from our houses would pass through soil planted with banana and coconut trees before making their way to ground wells.” Drawing from natural filtration system of rivers, the team uses a combination of anaerobic baffled reactor (an improved septic tank) and reed bed systems for purification. Once cleaned, the water is stored in wells, tanks or even artificial pools, for further use. “We realised that space is an issue today, so we have devised a way to use a pump and transmit the water into drums placed on terraces,” Sakthi adds.

Water management expert Indukanth S Ragade set up a botanical treatment process for cleaning greywater and channeling it into gardens way back in the 1990s.

Prepping a soil bed. Source: RainStock In his book Self-Reliance in Water: A Practical Manual for City and Town Dwellers, he has laid out the method for readers to replicate at home. According to the author, a 2.5 sq ft. soil bed would be appropriate for treating about 50-60 litres of greywater. With some help from an experienced plumber and a few PVC gullies or elbows, the water can be diverted to these soil patches, but a simpler methods involved rigging up a plastic mug and garden hose to create a portable piping system. Here’s a step-by-step guide to the mug-and-hose process, as given in the book: • Using a divider, draw a precise circle midway on the side of the mug • The circle on the mug must be identical in size to the diameter of the garden hose • Now, drill a hole on the mug, making sure to stay within the margins of the circle • You can drill the hole using a poker or a screwdriver heated on a gas burner flame • Once you have made the holes, use a knife to remove the circular disk • Insert the garden hose into the hole • Keep the mug below the greywater pipe and the end of the hose on the soil bed The organic content of the soil bed will help to purify the water, before it makes its way into the connected storage units. The treatment plant works by itself but do keep an eye on whether the waste water may be stagnating on parts of the soil bed.

Flowering plants like canna indica and ginger lily or fruit-bearing trees like banana and colocasia are ideal for such a project.

Canna indica can make for a beautiful reed bed garden. Source: Wikipedia Sakthi particularly recommends the canna indica to be grown on reed beds, which help to remove toxicity in the water. Flowering plants are also visually appealing, and can transform even a small area into a lush garden. Plants that grow in water, marshlands or can withstand the heavy volume of water are best suited for this method.
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If you don’t have a sewage treatment plant in your complex, unused patches of land in and around apartment buildings can be used to build reed/soil beds and divert greywater towards them. This is also a great way to bring the community together in an eco-friendly initiative. The clean water, when used for daily tasks, can contribute significantly in bringing down the amount of wastewater generated by households. For more details on treating and reusing greywater at home, read Indukanth S Ragade’s book. To contact Sakthi of Rainstock, click here.

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This Village in Maharashtra Used Its Plastic Waste To Solve Its Water Woes!

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Walni village in Nagpur is using its plastic waste as a solution to its water shortage by making it into plastic sheets  for rain water harvesting. When farmers in Walni village in Maharashtra’s Nagpur district observed that their ponds and lakes were not retaining water, they found the perfect solution. Their plastic waste. Walni village had 30 ponds and lakes, none of which were holding water. The rain collected during the monsoon season would be gone by the summer, mostly being lost to ground infiltration. This was leaving the ponds scarce and the village with a severe lack of water supply. Seeing no use for the ponds and lake, the villagers began filling them with earth.

Then the villagers had an idea. What if they could put their plastic waste to good use and use it as a means of harvesting water?

[caption id="attachment_94190" align="aligncenter" width="1600"] Photo used as representation purposes only. Photo Source: Wikimedia[/caption] The villagers gathered their plastic waste, including things like wrappers and polythene packs, and sewed them together to make huge sheets. They then lined the bottoms of the ponds with the plastic sheets, securing them with a 1-foot layer of soil. They did a trial in March and found that the plastic sheets kept the water from permeating into the ground. Water that would have previously dried up before December stayed until April, and even May. This simple, yet highly effective method combining the village’s two biggest issues, waste plastic disposal and shortage of water, transformed their problems into their solutions. Seeing the positive effects of the initial experiment, the method was extended to other smaller ponds across the village. Soon, everyone was on board. "Every Sunday we collect the plastic and hand it over to the women to make big sheets by stitching them together. We are in the process of laying these sheets in other farm ponds," the Times Of India quoted the villagers as saying.
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Previously, the village had been burning their plastic waste as it was too costly to travel to the nearest dumpyard. As well as the damaging environmental impacts this method of waste disposal was having, it was also becoming a big health hazard for the villagers living there. Not only is this initiative helping to conserve precious water then, it’s also helping to tackle a multitude of the villages other issues.

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How You Can Turn the Flowers You Use for Worship Everyday Into Soaps, Cleaning Agents, & More!

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Travelling via the Western Line on Mumbai’s local train gradually introduces travellers to a regular phenomenon. As the train crosses over Mahim Creek, passengers — particularly in the ladies compartments — head towards the entrance with bags in hand. These bags are filled with puja flowers and are tossed down the bridge into the water. Though discarded flowers are known to be a major cause for water pollution, they continue to be tossed into water bodies. Used in puja and other religious/customary ceremonies, most users are hesitant to toss them into the trash. Flower bouquets only serve to add to the waste, and we often end up with either wasting the flowers or discarding them in the least eco-friendly ways possible. While a number of organisations now work to recycle and reuse cut flowers used in temples and ceremonies like weddings, householders remain at a loss for the flowers used for daily puja or received as gifts. Here are a few ways in which you can make the most of these beautiful blooms.

1. Potpourri

Image source: By Sanjay Acharya (self-made at California, USA) [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons Don’t be deceived by the packaged versions—potpourri is easy to make at home. A mixture of petals and spices, potpourri is a natural perfume and needs only dried flowers of your choice, combined with spices and essential oils. For a harmonious fragrance, pick your natural ingredients from the same season and bruise the flowers lightly to circulate the fragrance better. Scour the internet for recipes, mix the ingredients according to instruction and store them in a jar or drawstring bag.

2. Journaling

As the hobby has regained in popularity around the world, a lot of journaling enthusiasts are now on the lookout for ways to make their journals prettier (and more Instagram-worthy). Along with pretty washi tapes and calligraphy, you can also elevate the pages with a sprinkling of dried petals in all shapes and colours. Paste them at random or arrange them in beautiful designs.

3. Floral art

Image source: Pixabay Pressed flowers can be rearranged to create beautiful, three-dimensional works of art. Use a tweezer to place the delicate flowers on the page, along with some foliage, and use an adhesive to stick it firmly on the base. Pick cardboard or sturdy paper over plain sheets, which may not be able to take the weight of the flowers. Let it dry and frame it for your walls.

4. Greeting cards and stationery

Image source: Facebook Come New Year and birthdays, many still prefer old-fashioned paper greeting cards to e-cards or social media messages. You can stick dried or pressed flowers on the card or create a pop-up effect. You can also use flowers or petals on envelopes, post cards, wrapping paper, bookmarks, notebooks and any paper stationery you use.
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5. Dried flower backdrop

Have a birthday party or even a small pre-wedding event at home? Eschew conventional decoration for a dried floral backdrop. Use a cloth backdrop and sew the flowers into the canvas or pin them on to a coir mat backdrop.

6. Bath products

At its simplest, flower petals can be scattered in the bath for a feel-good shower. Apart from that, you can put your DIY skills to work and combine flowers and other ingredients to make natural soaps and bath bombs at home.

7. Household cleaner

Flowers can make for great household cleaners. Take 1/4th cup of flowers and mix it with a cup of baking soda and tablespoon of salt to make some easy surface cleaner. You can also mix a few petals into your floor cleaner just before mopping for a fragrant twist!

8. Bottled flowers

Image source: Pixabay If you have accumulated a variety of dried flowers and have more than you can use, turn them into little decorative items for your home. Most of us have old glass bottles lying around—simply give them a good rinse-and-dry and fill it with neatly arranged layers of dried or pressed flowers. You can also add little pebbles and trinkets to spruce them up further.

9. Centrepieces

Whether it is a wreath for your door during Christmas or simply a beautiful centrepiece for your coffee table, dried flowers do a fantastic job. Dried flower arrangements are also far more durable, and eco-friendly, than fresh flowers. While centrepieces are easy to create as long as you have a vase or container, you can also weave them into a wreath with some help from the World Wide Web.
You might also like: Waste to Valuable: Used Flowers in Religious Shrines Are Given a New Life by These 2 Friends

10. Composting

Image source: Flickr Coming back to the simplest method of using flowers without going through the process of drying or pressing, simply turn them into compost. Most household flowers are used during daily puja. While most people aren’t willing to mix them with regular trash, all you have to do is store these flowers separately in a compost bin.

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Best of Waste: This Mumbai-Based Startup Transforms Vinyl Records & CDs into Lifestyle Products

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The Upcycle Co. turns waste vinyl records & CDs into quirky and useful lifestyle products. It’s been decades since VCR tapes and vinyl records became passé and CDs were the coolest thing in the market. Many people had a CD player in their house, and those who didn’t, dreamt of having one. Now, many of us find ourselves wondering what to do with the huge CD collection that sits gathering dust, untouched for years.

With rapid technological inventions and innovations, the amount of e-waste we produce is increasing by the day. While DVDs and Blu Rays are still in, within no time, they too, might go the same way as CDs.

[caption id="attachment_94619" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Tablet holder & tray made by upcycling old CDS[/caption] The question that remains is, what to do with this waste? Non-recyclable waste like vinyl records are still around even after going out of use such a long time ago, taking up space in landfills. The Upcycle Co is trying to solve the problem of disposing of such non-recyclable e-waste by upcycling it into beautiful lifestyle products. The unique Mumbai-based social enterprise, founded by Amishi Shah, started out by upcycling vinyl records into lifestyle products like quirky sign boards, coasters, key chains, bookmarks and pretty clocks and now upcycles old CDs as well.
“Our mission is to change the perceptionof waste in people’s minds and reduce the burden on landfills. Vinyl records are made from the non-recyclable plastic called PVC. So when I first thought of upcycling, I immediately started finding ways to upcycle vinyl records. I experimented a lot with any and every kind of waste products that I came across. However, to start a viable social enterprise I had to narrow it down in order to create finer products,” says Amishi.
A finance graduate, Amishi went to London for her Master’s degree and while studying there, became familiar with the concept of social enterprise.
Also read: From Plastic to Fantastic: How Pune-Based Entrepreneurs Upcycle Plastic Trash into Designer Purses!
“We don’t hear much about the concept in India. For us, it’s either a non-profit or a private company. The idea of social enterprise struck me more as I learnt more about it. When I came back, I was still grappling with the idea,” says Amishi.
A creative person herself, she started to look for different ideas for upcycling waste materials and started creating funky products herself. She’d make these products by hand in her spare time and sell them and then buy more junkets from places like Chor Bazaar in Mumbai.

Soon, she had started getting a good response. However, to set up a scalable and viable enterprise, there needed to be consistency and focus. Therefore, Amishi and her small team decided to produce their products with machines.

The Upcycle Co is growing slowly and steadily. The company gets a lot of projects from corporate firms as well as individual clients.
“So far we have upcycled over 1,000 kg of waste and our initial research with Tata Sustainability shows that for every kg of waste that we upcycled, we have saved 3 kg in carbon emissions. That is the kind of result that I had always wanted in my work. It feels great to be of some use to the environment and we hope that our enterprise keeps growing,” she concludes.

Also read: Underprivileged Women in Chandigarh Upcycle Dry Waste to Make a Living, Thanks to These Students
Know more about The Upcycle & Co and buy the products on their official website here. To contribute to the company’s fundraiser, click here.

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How Simple Plumbing Hacks Helped This Bengaluru Family Cut Its Water Bills by More Than Half

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“I have always been aware of the problem of water scarcity,” says Vinodkumar Saxena sitting in the living room of his home in Bengaluru’s Koramangala neighbourhood. An import-export consultant, he was born and grew up in Pune and moved here 25 years ago. His wife Aarti has lived here since the ’70s, and together the couple has witnessed the Garden City undergo a drastic change. Keen on living sustainably, Vinodkumar and Aarti are turning their home into a green building, one step at a time.

Vinodkumar’s biggest achievement has been to set up a system to reuse all the greywater generated in the Saxena residence.

Even when they built their house in 2006, the duo wanted to make sure that they made their living place as eco-friendly as possible. “We were segregating our waste for years, long before any BBMP rule,” says Aarti. For Vinodkumar, the large quantities of water that drained out of homes in the form of greywater was a matter of concern and he decided to build his own version of a greywater recycling unit in his home. He began with consulting water experts and NGOs that he had come across in newspapers, but could not find a sustainable solution. “They suggested methods and ideas that required too much space, and could not give me any practical suggestions,” he says. Undeterred, he began to think of simpler means to implement it himself. The answer came in the form of plumbing.
He says, “I connected all the bath water and kitchen sinks into an underground tank, with an open tank submersible pump made from stainless steel. In most homes, the pipes from the kitchens, bathrooms and toilets are the same. But I have separate tanks for both. All the bath and kitchen water is pumped into an overhead tank for greywater, which in turn is connected to all the flush toilets in the building.”
The flush toilets are connected to the main outlet pipe of the house, which leads directly to the sewage line. While the water from flush toilets — known as blackwater — is deemed unfit for use, greywater contains far lesser contaminants. To clear the water of any soap sediments, micro organisms and bad smell, the couple adds small amounts of alum and bleach. The greywater that is pumped back into the toilets thus, has no visible dirt or odour.

Despite the lack of any technical expertise, Vinodkumar conceptualised the system on simple plumbing measures, which anyone can implement in their homes.

“I am not an engineer, and I don’t have any diagrams to show what I have done,” he says. "But I told my idea to the Water Supply Board engineers and they told me it would work.” An average person uses the flush toilet about 10 times a day, draining out over 100 litres of water in the process. According to Vinodkumar, it is an enormous waste of water that could have easily been allocated for other purposes, including drinking, cooking and doing daily household chores. In comparison, household chores and drinking water comprise only a small part of every home’s daily water consumption.
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Reports have suggested that people can use up to an astounding 300 litres of water a day, most of which drains out as blackwater. By reusing the grey water, the Saxena family has managed to eliminate this expense entirely. Little wonder their water bills are at an all-time low.
“It also requires very little maintenance,” he says. “I find many people complaining about water being dirty, but it’s only natural that the water will have some amount of trust. Cleaning the tankers at home regularly is enough. We get all our tanks cleaned once a month and it works. We use a simple filter in our kitchen, and we have not had any issues. Aren’t these small expenses better than having to spend on medical bills?”
A small rainwater harvesting system keeps the family’s groundwater use in check. The terrace is sloped to let the rainwater make its way via a pipe to a separate underground tank. “The tank has no concrete base—we have kept it as natural as possible,” says Vinodkumar. The rainwater accumulates in the water and gradually seeps into the groundwater system located next to it. He says, “Borewells in my neighbours’ home are dug to 750 feet, and I’ve heard that buildings around Sarjapur have dug almost 1500 feet into the ground. My bore well is dug at just 145 feet and it gets recharged with rainwater too.”

Keeping up the zero-waste initiative, Aarti uses the extra kitchen water to nourish her garden filled with flowers, vegetables, herbs and a most intense peppermint.

“We have been composting for about two years now, and use it as fertilizers on our plants,” she says. A former journalist who worked at a local newspaper, she feels that small measures can make a world of difference in modern households. Apart from composting, she also makes her own mulch for the garden. Incidentally, the family does not own a car or Vinodkumar insists he would have used some of the greywater to wash it too. He also highlights that contrary to popular notions, these process are cost-effective and easy to maintain. “It cost me barely ₹20,000 to install the plumbing system,” he says. “The prices have risen but it only costs a fraction of the amount we spend on building and decorating homes now. And think about the difference it makes to our bills."
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Having tackled the water crisis, the couple has now turned attention to lowering their electricity consumption. They switched to CFL lights in 2010 and are now changing to LED lighting for their home. They have installed special low-energy ceiling fans and have done away with geysers entirely. “We have installed solar panels on our roof and that takes care of hot water. We now want to install solar lighting.” Living green means that the couple has to face strange questions and bewildered reactions. “We have had relatives asking us why we are saving water,” says Aarti. “I ask them, why not?”. Vinodkumar also makes it a point to share his knowledge with others and happily invites people to come to the house and see how the system can be replicated. The couple are constantly looking for new ways to lower their carbon footprint and cut their water and power consumption. Along with solar lighting, they are now also seeking ways to purify their greywater further. “We want to be a self-sustaining, self-contained unit,” the Saxenas say in unison. To contact Vinodkumar Saxena, click here.

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