KIS began recycling in 2014 and now has two active Recycle Centers, better overall waste management, and a separate account for Recycling and related activities. The outreach to the town is a natural and much-needed extension of this to the Kodai community. Dr Rajamanikam has provided expertise first for KIS, and as a member of the Social and Environment Experience Department (SEED, formerly SOEX), has spoken in all the SEED classes, but spends most of his time in outreach, usually accompanied by Mr William in Maintenance, Iti Maloney, Dr. Clarence Maloney, or others interested. Some KIS students have also participated, and some students from other schools have visited our Recycling Centers.
Among the 23 schools in and around Kodaikanal, 18 have been visited repeatedly with presentations and demonstrations, and have adopted campus solid waste management system by installing labeled bins and segregating at source. This includes government and private high schools, elementary schools, those having Tamil or English language medium, and some in nearby villages as Vilpatti, Perumalmalai, Pallangi, and Poombari. Four more schools are interested, have received consultation from us, and are taking the next required steps to start the process.
In all these schools there have been extended public sessions for all students on sustainable waste management and recyclables sorting, with support of the Administrations. Then they have also experienced hands-on training on source segregation, recycling, and composting. The schools have been informed about the rate they will get for selling recyclables (flat paper Rs. 10 a kilo, iron Rs. 16 a kilo, etc), and encouraged to set a goal ultimately of “Zero Waste Campus”.
Building allocated by Municipality for KIS outreach for storing/sorting recyclables from hotels, schools, institutions on main road just below lake (needs roof!)
Collection of recyclables is not just by students, Along with the students, teachers and staff are asked to bring recyclables from their houses, as well as teaching family and neighbors; so the schools can be the focus of local community action for this.
Overall in 22 schools, we have repeatedly reached around 5000 students and 300 teachers. All of them are oriented to and have experienced demonstrations of sustainable solid waste management. Some schools could buy the bins, for which we have helped make and attach big labels, and for poorer schools, we persuaded Rotary Club and some local resorts to donate costs.
As for pick-up of recyclables, we have found a responsible agent, a scrap dealer, who is making his business from collecting what the schools and hotels set out for him. He also makes special trips when requested. However, the school students in poor communities have little that is recyclable so the cost of pick-up is not covered. The agent is depending more on pick-up from hotels, and expects his business to gradually increase.
As for the Municipality, it has no budget, personnel, vehicles, or provision of bins for dealing with recyclables. Many of us have been taking our recyclables for sale to private junk dealers in Munjikal, but there is only trash collection by the Municipality, and all goes to the huge dump below Prakasapuram. Some NGOs have proposed working with us by organizing groups in each of the 25 electoral Wards in town, though so far this is inactive. However, the Central and State Governments now require towns to do it (their planned categories are “wet waste” later sorted for compostables, and “dry waste” then sorted for recyclables!). However, the town Commissioner has been supportive, and has allotted a run-down building (without much roof) in a convenient location where our agent keeps and sorts the recyclables which he then sells to factories on the plains.
Higher education institutions
We have been working with 3 higher education institutes: 1) Mother Theresa University, 2) Kodaikanal Christian College, and 3) Mother Theresa Women’s College. Administrations of all three have arranged for our presentations and practical demonstration, and have procured bins, and started solid waste management on their campuses. Thereafter, they have become willing participants, and students and staff have taken up recycling and better overall waste management.
C Maloney and Rajamanikam demonstrating sorting recyclables for maintenance staff at Holiday Home Resorts
Hotels
Recently because of this Project, five hotels in town have taken up segregation of recyclables, and three of them are doing it very well, and surprisingly, have achieved some 70% recycling of solid waste. They realize that they can get some income from selling it to the agent working with us, and also can advertise that they are environment-conscious and “green” hotels.
In Kodaikanal, about 60% solid waste that goes to the huge town dump is said to be generated by the hospitality industry. There are 120 hotels registered and members of the local Hotels Association, but there are some 4000 hotels and “guest houses” in and around this touristy town. As we cannot approach so many directly, or provide orientation or training of staff, we started to work with a few influential hotels which can be a model for others.
Women’s Club at Convent School starting composting
Local NGOs, offices, and groups
We have been collaborating with five local NGOs/community organizations, including a youth group wanting to stop tourists throwing plastic, and a women’s group doing composting. We have had many discussions and contacts with the Municipality, though there are internal “problems” and it will take time for reforms. But they have given us the place for storing and sorting, which we will have to repair. A revised Town Plan is expected. There has been no Chairman or Council for a year, but when the TN Gov’t gets finally re-organized (after the death of “Amma”), and holds elections, we hope to help extend recycling and maybe composting to all two Wards in town.
The Forest Department is also keenly interested in waste management and how to deal with tourists about this, and has initiated some meetings with us.
Visit to Auroville
Using some of the KFI fund, a group of five involved in KIS recycling and this outreach (including William in Maintenance, and Iti Maloney) spent 3 days in Auroville, an international innovative community near Pondicherry. They saw the work of several innovative persons and organizations regarding recycling, processing of recyclables, composting, novel construction materials, etc, and are giving a Presentation to KIS Maintenance. Also, one of the KIS Maintenance officers participated in a 5-day training program about waste and recycling, held by the Centre for Science an Environment (puts out the excellent environment magazine Down to Earth) in New Delhi.
To read interesting descriptions and see photos of the trip submitted by Iti Maloney and William Gynanaraj, click here: Auroville Trip Report.
This Spring Semester
We will continue all this during the Spring Semester, 2018. On February 19th Rajamanikam is organizing a one-day workshop for the Kodai hospitality industry. We expect at least 50 hotels to participate. This workshop is aimed at empowering the hospitality and food industry to implement their own sustainable waste management programs, through interactive lectures, hands-on training, and demonstrations to help move towards “Zero Waste Hotels” in India.
Report submitted by Dr. Rajamanikam, edited by Clarence Maloney, 28 January, 2018
KIS Outreach for Recycling and Waste Management is supported through KFI’s Social and Environmental Learning Fund.
