Bengaluru: India’s First Solid Waste Management Park Opens In HSR Layout To Give Composting Lessons To Citizens

In order to decentralise waste management in Bengaluru, the city has become home to a solid waste management park, reports Deccan Herald.

The SwachaGraha Kalika Kendra, dubbed as India’s first solid waste management park, opened for the public at HSR Layout on Saturday (15 December) and will impart education on how to convert waste in 20 different ways.

The 1.5 acres Kalika Kendra houses is located inside the BBMP’s ‘HSR Park’ houses over 20 composting models along with a functional biogas unit. This aligns with the awareness campaign initiated by the Solid Waste Management Round Table (SWMRT) to decentralise waste management.

The plan is to create learning centres across all the constituencies in the city for a hands-on experience.

"From information sessions for volunteers to captivating educational workshops for students, the Kendra is expected to grow into a unique waste management knowledge hub," said Sandya Narayanan, A SWMRT member.

"In December 2017, the forum along with the local MLA had started lane composting. We now have ten lane composters. The Kendra will now let households and apartment dwellers understand the best composting methods," says Chitra Praneeth of HSR citizen forum.

"It is critical that more households manage their waste at source through home composting, while the rest can be managed at a neighbourhood level. It is clear that with this degree of decentralisation, only a meagre 5-10 per cent of our waste would go to landfills. What is the key missing piece in this puzzle? Citizens awareness", said Narayanan, adding that, decentralised waste management is the way forward.