The Trash Turmoil

It is estimated that we, as a country, generate 1,50,000 metric tonne (MT) of solid waste every day. About 90 per cent of this is reportedly collected — alarmingly, only 20 per cent of this collected waste is processed or recycled, while the remaining 80 per cent is dumped on dumpsites or landfills.

This is precisely the reason why almost every major city in India today has its own mountains — mountains of garbage! These insanitary mountain ranges of waste have become synonymous with urban India today — a standing testimony to our lifestyles. In fact, most of these sites have now exceeded their maximum capacity and cannot accommodate any more waste.

Open dumpsites are responsible for a plethora of problems – ranging from contaminating the land and water around them, to leading to disease outbreaks; from releasing potent greenhouse gases to triggering public safety hazards like fires.

So, where do schools feature in this waste mismanagement mayhem? They too might be contributing in no small measure to their neighbourhood dumpsites. How, then, can we stop the situation from worsening at the institutional as well as personal levels?

CSE’s Green Schools Programme invites schools and their teachers to register for an exclusive briefing on dumpsites and landfills, their impacts, efficient management of waste and what can be done to reduce our reliance in these human-made mountains.

We are inviting a maximum of two teachers and the principal from each school. Please submit the registration form below to confirm your participation

For any further queries, please contact the webinar coordinator tushita.rawat@cseindia.org