Parsi housing colony leads the way in waste segregation
Godrej Baug, a Parsi housing colony at Malabar Hill, has been awarded a certificate under the Swachh Bharat Mission for effectively reducing its waste by segregating and recycling it.
The colony, managed by the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP), has been composting its kitchen and floral waste while segregating recyclable materials like paper, metal, glass and e-waste and handing it over to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The waste processing system has been working for the last two weeks.
Kersi Randeria, the trustee of BPP, said that following this, they would now apply for property tax rebate that is given to housing complexes that reduce their waste. “We have had people from Raj Bhavan visiting us and they want to replicate a similar model there. Soon, we would see that happening as well,” said Randeria, who proposed the project.
A week ago, Infinity Towers Cooperative Housing Society at Malabar Hill became the first to bag a 5% rebate in property tax for segregating and processing waste and using recycled greywater and harvested rainwater.
Last year, Randeria had proposed a waste segregating and composting unit for all Parsi colonies at Ambawadi, Malabar Hill, which is the residence of Khandias, the traditional bier carriers, located next to the Tower of Silence. However, it was scrapped after community members opposed it. Following which, an automatic composting system was set up for Godrej Baug in their premises.
Shehnaaz Khambatta from BPP, said that they were collecting around 90-110 kgs of wet waste from 500 houses of Godrej Baug on a daily basis, which generates 200 kgs of compost after 10 days. Three bins with a capacity of 600 litres have been installed to process the waste.
“We plan to have a garden wherein we could grow organic vegetables in the near future. Right now the project only caters to this colony, but we want to replicate the similar model at other 10 colonies of the punchayet,” said Khambatta.
Bilal Baig, head of the waste management project at the society, said they plan to reach out to private firms for collecting the recyclable waste. “The segregation of waste is happening at multiple levels in the Baug currently. We have also explained to the residents that they need to segregate wet and dry waste in their premises as well,” said Baig.
Additional municipal commissioner Prashant Gaikwad said, that they will be monitoring the waste management project for a year, following which the colony would be given 5% rebate in property tax.
“It is commendable that a community colony has set up this plant, others should take cues from this follow. Considering they have a lot of space in their premises, they put it to right use,” said Gaikwad.
In August, BMC had passed the proposal to offer 5% rebate for housing societies processing their wet waste, 5% for those recycling their dry waste, and another 5% for those harvesting rainwater and recycling water.
