Srinagar, Jul 25: At least 40 percent waste generated in Jammu and Kashmir is wet waste which can be composted and used as manure, says a government document.
Wastes (or wastes) are unwanted or unusable materials. Waste is any substance discarded after primary use, or is worthless and defective.
According to a government report, waste management was a huge challenge in Jammu and Kashmir.
It says it will become much “more threatening” if immediate measures are not taken.
“40 percent of municipal waste in the state is wet waste, which can easily be composted and used as manure. Nearly 30 percent of the municipal waste comprises plastic and metal, which can be sent for recycling to an authorized dealer and about 20 percent of it is e-waste, which can be recovered at door step,” the document says.
A senior official said information education and communication (IEC) plays a pivotal role in creating “awareness, mobilising people and making development participatory through advocacy and by transferring knowledge skills and techniques to the people”.
The official said that given the rapid urbanization and growing population, this sector (waste management) needs immediate attention.
“The valley’s non-dumping options to manage waste have also shrunk drastically. Burning waste no longer seems viable because of environmental concerns and poor segregation of waste. Compost plants are not doing well because manure doesn’t sell, and again becomes garbage,” the official said.
“But municipalities must also set up the infrastructure and notify their solid-waste management policy under the 2016 rules. So far, it has remained confined to papers only,” the official said.
In Srinagar district, a Central Pollution Control Board report estimates that a total of 400 metric tons of waste is generated per day. At least 62 percent of this waste is organic in nature while the remaining is inorganic including 7 percent of plastic waste.
“Civic bodies blame residents for not segregating the waste but what’s the point when everything will eventually be mixed-up? Segregation by residents will only work when the municipal bodies have a complete door-to-door waste collection system and trash pickups have separate containers for dry and wet waste,” the official added.
