Green Hills, a four year old, Almora-based organisation has been working relentlessly in the field of environment conservation and sustainable development while focusing on waste management in the hill-town, with reject, reduce, reuse and recycle being their motto.
With a core group of three members and over 50 unofficial team-mates, Green Hills believes that, “until a solution isn’t found to dispose off garbage there is no use taking it from one place to other and dumping it at a new place.”
Working under their motto, the organisation involved students and upraised them about the sad state of affairs. With young, passionate blood coming on-board, rallies and door to door campaigns were held to create awareness.
“With financial support from Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation we started a pilot project on plastic waste and its use in road construction this May. We all know that Plastic waste is a real challenge in present times. Its a threat to soil, marine creatures, human health, and natural drainage in mountains,” Vasudha Pant, Secretary, Green Hills tells us.
Since September last year, plastic waste is being religiously collected from all 11 wards of Almora and its adjoining villages of Sikuda, Golnakaradiya and Dugalkhola. “A team of 6 waste collectors and one team supervisor has managed to collect over 7 tonnes of waste plastic that is primarily packaging material.” On a pre-decided day, once a week, waste collectors reach out to people for plastic waste collection which is stored in a room allotted by the Almora Municipality.
With support from the Public Works Department in Almora, who agreed to take on the pilot project despite limitations, under the guidance of Engineer Manoj Kumar Pande, waste plastic is today being used post-shredding on re-doing a short stretch on the Pilkha-Patiya Road, with 700 m stretch already been re-done. Plans are afoot to make the total length of the road i.e. 2 km with plastic shredded waste which is spread over preheated gravel and then bitumen is added to this mixture.
Inspired, Engineers of the Pradha Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna in Almora have also taken fancy to the idea of carrying plastic-shredded waste from the hills and using it for road construction on a trial basis. If this is a success story, then not only will it help in reducing, recycling and reusing plastic waste but in turn make our hills green and clean.
