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Saahas in Bangalore
Saahas is a voluntary organisation in Bangalore, committed to finding solutions to solid waste management in the city. Saahas provide waste solutions to households and businesses and is supported by numerous organizations including The State Bank of India (SBOI) and Nokia India Pvt Ltd.
I had the opportunity to meet and talk with Wilma and Patma from Saahas who were extremely helpful and arranged for me to visit some of their projects. Not only have Saahas greatly improved working conditions for rag pickers but they also adhere to and promote the use of legislation such as the Solid Waste Management and Handling Rules. These Rules specify the correct use and disposal of waste and protects the people that have to work with it. It was reassuring to see that the workers at Saahas have the equipment they need to do their jobs – gloves, masks, aprons etc and that the working conditions were good. The organization and its staff are to be congratulated on a job well done.
K.N. Vitobha Nagar a supervisor showed me the waste segregation and composting units at The State Bank of India head office and the affluent Bangalore Club. Both businesses have assigned Saahas an area in which they can segregate waste and make compost, the majority of Saahas’s work is done onsite in this way.
The State Bank of India use aerobic composting which means air is blown into the unit. Charcoal is used to filter the smell. This system takes 3 months from start to finish. 4 women share the task of sieving and bagging 200kg of compost each day which has to go through several stages before packing it into bags for sale and use on the bank’s grounds.
The team at the Bangalore Club also process 200 kg of compost per day. They use a different method which takes only ten days from start to finish using shredding machines, One machine is for shredding garden waste- leaves etc, one for food waste including bones and the final one is an organic waste converter. After the first two stages of shredding the organic material is placed in crates. A sprinkler system is used to provide moisture. The crates are stored in rows of ten on a storage unit and each day the contents from the last row are emptied onto the floor to dry a little before being put into the organic waste converter. The remaining crates move down one and new crates are put on the starting end meaning that a constant supply is available. The compost is bagged up and sold to the members of the club for 10 rupees per kg bag and is also used in the grounds of the Club.
If composting is managed well as it by Saahas it is a clean, hygienic and economical way of putting organic waste to good use. By using good wet and dry recycling systems, Saahas has shown waste management doesn’t have to be dirty and smelly or unhygienic and dangerous for its employees. Rubbish that would have been burned or thrown into a landfill can be a source of income and can create much needed employment.
Let’s hope it catches on………
Saahas - www.saahas.org
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