SEGREGATE, DISINTEGRATE, INNOVATE

 Almost everyday, since poll talks started heating up in the media, we have heard people single out garbage as the number one problem that needs concrete promises. If a politician’s manifesto doesn’t have garbage control as its priority, don’t vote for him/her. 

But does the problem really begin with the politicians or the people? Let’s not point fingers but be the change we want to see in the world around us. And our home is primarily our world.

In the home, we generate different types of garbage. One man’s meat is another man’s poison, it is said. And one man’s waste is another man’s wealth! Waste can be chiefly segregated into two major categories: Bio-degradable and Non bio-degradable. 

Bio-degradable wealth: Visualize a forest and you will realize that when the trees shed their leaves, they fall to the ground and disintegrate. As the wind blows, these rotting leaves get covered with a thin layer of soil and there you have it- COMPOST! Whenever I peel a potato or carrot, skin onions, chop or slice a tomato or prepare any vegetable dish, I get plenty of discarded material to feed a compost bin. Now being economical, I do not rush out and buy myself an expensive and showy composter. I take the pots I have and empty a few to dump these discards into. Then I do what the wind does in the forest and keep watering them regularly. As long as there is a will, there is always a way. Even eggshells, properly cleaned, can be crushed and added to the mix. Coconut shells take a long time to disintegrate, so put them right at the bottom of the pot. You could also give them to your maid to use as firewood. Cooked food needs to be either flushed down a toilet or bagged and given to the garbage collector. Better still, keep a pet who will wolf it down. And try not to waste food as far as possible. We have a significant populace that goes hungry every single night in our country.

Non Bio-degradable Waste: 

In the kitchen, we also get a lot of plastic bags, etc. which need to be kept away from the cooked food and compost so I would suggest a container on another counter (I hang a bag for mine near the refrigerator). Reuse them or return them to the shops that will reuse them. Or else stuff them into PET bottles and find some creative use for the bottles. Plastic bottle caps in different colors can be used to make eye-catching mosaic artwork on walls or even used on mobiles to create awareness. Write to your milk distributor to accept empty packets of milk. Don’t you think our fields look filthy with millions of them strewn about?

Another area of the home that generates a lot of waste is the study area. We have taken to keeping a dustbin in our ‘homeschool’ room, and a common one for the living room and master bedroom is kept in the passage area. The children are instructed not to litter the floors or toss anything into the building compound. Even when we travel, we bring our garbage home or dump it in a wayside bin. 

The reverse of bills, lottery tickets, labels are usually blank and can be used to jot down grocery lists, reminders and other messages. I usually salvage used envelopes by slitting them open and inverting them. Check every single sheet of paper to see how it can be reused before you chuck it into the bin. Your children can use them for craft projects at home. Newspapers can be converted into bags and sachets, but if you don’t fancy that, just sell it to the rag-picker or to any store that will welcome them. 

Almost every school has an exhibition annually, be it a science fair or a craft display. Collect discarded cardboard, thermacole packaging for this purpose: you won’t need to waste money buying sheets of them and then throwing it all away once the exhibition is over. Assign a place on your loft for these bulky items and remember that they are there waiting to be reused. 

When we see a piece of wood, we say “It’s a log”. But when a sculptor sees it, he exclaims, “It’s a boat!” It is said that Eskimo artists, when they carve ivory, do not begin by deciding what to carve. They say, “I wonder what is inside.” As they carve, they gradually find it. It was there, waiting for discovery and release. In the same way, look at the waste in your home and as you wonder what it could become, may you find the wealth within.

(Sent to HERALD for their environment section in Sunday Goa's Heartbeat)