Page 109 - Swachhata Chronicles – Transformative Tales from India (eBook)

and 67 SHG members. On Day 2, there were » Waste: Waste, also referred to as
118 participants, including 62 officials and garbage, trash, rubbish, or kachara, is any
56 SHG members. material that is discarded as unwanted.
The perception of waste varies across
Prior to the launch of the SLRM project, societies, but for effective SLRM, garbage
awareness programmes were conducted must be collected within a 12-hour
within the communities covering the timeframe to prevent unpleasant odours
following topics: and attraction of flies.

» Role of SHGs in SLRM: SHGs, primarily » Biodegradable and non-biodegradable
comprised of women, play a crucial role waste: Participants were educated about
in communicating with other women who the distinction between biodegradable
waste (such as food and garden waste)
are often responsible for waste disposal.
and non-biodegradable waste (including
SLRM projects supplemented their family
paper, plastic, leather, wood, and metal).
income, and the government provided
loans and subsidies to these groups. SHGs » Household responsibility in waste
followed a code of conduct – no team segregation at the source: Households
members could leave as they please. They were encouraged to segregate waste at
were encouraged to be actively involved the source and keep it ready for collection
and take ownership of such projects as at specified times. They were also
they possessed local knowledge and are advised against burning or discarding
readily accepted by the community. waste in open spaces and were instructed
to separately pack menstrual and
medical waste.

utcome

Participants gained knowledge about

waste management processes, the
differentiation of biodegradable and

non-biodegradable waste and the
importance of waste segregation at the

source.

Swachhata Chronicles: Transformative Tales from India 89