Pune News: Meet Madhavi Kolte, a 5 Gardens Society Resident Who Does Not Let Waste Go Waste
Pune News: Meet Madhavi Kolte, a 5 Gardens Society Resident Who Does Not Let Waste Go Waste
There has been a chronic absence of proper waste management in the 5 Gardens housing society located in Rahatani, Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Jurisdiction.
11 May 2024
By Khushi Maheshwari
The 5 Gardens housing society comes under the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation and is located in the Rahatani region of the city. The PCMC had withdrawn its waste management services for the society a while ago and since then the society had found itself in a rather stinky pile of problems.
Just then Madhavi Kolte, a resident of the society, came up with a solution to let no waste go to waste and turn much of it into compost for plants. She encouraged others living there to do the same. Talking about the support she has received from the managing committee, she said, “It has really committed itself to putting this system in place.”
Madhavi elaborated on the process of composting and explained that first and foremost, they segregate waste into dry waste and wet waste from inside the household; much of the wet waste is composed of kitchen waste, which again, can be put into two categories — uncooked waste (vegetable and fruit peels, etc) and cooked waste (leftovers of meals). Additionally, there is garden waste which is composed of 2 things: cuttings of leaves and trees, and dry leaves.
The uncooked kitchen waste and both constituents of garden waste are useful resources for composting and making your own manure. “The uncooked kitchen waste and garden waste are beneficial resources and a lot of us are using them to maintain our kitchen gardens,” she said.
Further, she highlighted how even the cooked leftovers can be turned into manure but need to be composted separately.
Madhavi also spoke about any challenges the society grappled with after the PCMC stopped providing them with waste management services. “The PCMC withdrew its support in phases, they used a lot of notices prior to discontinuing their services, therefore, we thought we would rather be well-equipped.”
She also emphasised the importance of cutting down on waste and not contributing to the landfill as a society. “We hope if we create this model we will become inspirations for other societies as well.”
