We all know how harmful plastic waste is to our landfills and the environment. Despite this, plastic is being used everywhere. This waste coming out of our house contaminates the river or forest near the city.
This is the reason that pollution has increased in the city as well as in the rural areas. But today we are going to tell you about Mahad city of Maharashtra, where people are working together for waste management. Mamta Mehta, a teacher from the same city, is behind this positive change. Those who left their jobs and started working at their level. Gradually people joined them and today about 40 percent of the people of this city with a population of one lakh are making efforts for zero waste.
how did it start?
Mamta was working as a teacher in the Konkan Education Society, Mahad since 1995. She often took her son to the banks of the Savitri river in the city. They The Better India Told Ko, “We all used to spend time on the banks of the river, because there was peace there. But people used to throw plastic waste on the banks of the river. Seeing the garbage, I always thought that if this garbage continues to grow like this, then people like us will stop coming to the banks of the river.
Mamta realized that there is a lack of awareness among the people, for which she decided to make some efforts at her level. Mamta left her job in 2008 and started tutoring at home. Along with this, she started telling people about the waste management. Her husband Vijay Mehta and son Tanmay Mehta supported her in this decision. Both her husband and son are lawyers by profession.
appointed president
Mamta started reading about wet and dry waste management. He made a two-foot pit in the garden of his house for his wet waste. She used to ask the people around herself and the children studying in tuitions to bring wet waste along with herself.
Mamta says, “I was happy that slowly people are joining me. Management of wet waste was easy. At the same time, big plastic bottles used to be taken to the Kabadiwala. The biggest problem for me was to recycle the light waste plastic.”
Seeing his cleanliness work, he was also made the president of his colony in 2013. After which he started the work of waste management vigorously in Prabhat Colony of Mahad. At the same time, in the year 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi started the cleanliness campaign across the country. Mamta says, “I used to explain to people that throwing their garbage out of the house is not its management, but making your house zero waste is the right cleanliness campaign.”
Found a way to manage plastic waste
However, initially they had no idea about the recycling of light plastic waste. In the year 2017, he came to know about the Rudra Foundation based in Pune. Medha Tadpatrikar Light, the founder of Rudra Foundation, works on the recycle of plastic waste. About her, Mamta says, “The first time I went to Pune to meet Medha, I had 700 grams of plastic waste. At the same time, today we are collecting more than one ton of plastic waste every month. All this has been possible because of the cooperation of the people of Mahad. We don’t throw garbage outside anymore.”
From the year 2017, Mamta started sending plastic waste of other people of the city along with her to Pune by State Transport bus. She used to send garbage by tying it on top of the bus. His son and other people also helped in this work. After which he started doing workshops to create awareness among the people of the city. In which she used to teach people how to dry and store plastic and compost wet waste.
Mamta was working at her level in the name of Poly Processor Group in the city. But in order to attract as many people as possible, she wanted it to get the name of an organization. During this she met Ashmita Sharma, co-founder of a chain organization working for sustainability and waste management in Navi Mumbai.
Apart from plastic, we collect other things
Mamta says, “I told Asmita that I am working in a group with the people of the city. But if I get a chance to work under a bigger banner, we can do better. After which we launched the chain organization in Mahad in 2018.
Talking about Mamta’s work, Asmita Sharma says, “The cleanliness campaign started with public awareness in a small town like Mahad is commendable. Behind this awareness campaign is none other than Mamta. Seeing his passion, the chain decided to help.”
Mamta was associated with many people in the city, including many housewives, under big banners like series. Today many people like Ujjwala Kolekar, Dr. Vijay, Vijaya Desai, Shalakha Warange, Asmita Mehta, Anjali More, Nihar Wadake are working with him to make Mahad a zero waste city.
Even in the lockdown, the townspeople deposited the waste
Now one vehicle in the chain serves as a plastic waste collection in the city a month. Along with plastic waste, he also collects e-waste and old shoes etc. The plastic waste collected from the city is sent to Pune, while the remaining waste is sent to a recycling company near Panvel (Mumbai).
Now since people had got into the habit of hoarding the waste instead of throwing it away, the people of the city collected their light waste plastic during the lockdown. State transport buses were not plying during that time. In the month of October the plastic waste was sent to the chain cart for recycle. Mamta told that after the lockdown last year, she had collected about eight tonnes of plastic waste. This waste was collected from Mahad and its nearby Kusgaon.
Started giving all his waste to ‘Sampurna Earth’
Mamta has also started a collection center in Mahad from September this year. Where the city’s plastic waste is stored. After the lockdown, the company of Panvel (Maharashtra), which used to send the waste for recycle, closed down. After which Mamta has started giving all her waste to another Mumbai based company ‘Sampurna Earth’.
Today many people of Mahad are working with Mamta. Sakshi Upadhyay from the same city says, “I came here three years ago. I was very impressed to see Mamta’s work in the city. I have attended his workshop. Their hard work has brought a lot of change in our city.”
If you also want to get information from Mamta about waste management, then you can contact her on 9820143060. If you want to support them in this campaign of cleanliness, then you can contact on this address-
Shrunkhala Organisation For sustainable development
Registration number :U93000MH2018NPL304217
Yes Bank Account Number 021694600001151
IFSC Code : YESB0000216
Editing – G N Jha
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