Yesterday I was talking to my friend over phone. She asked me ‘did you like Japan?’ ‘Yes’ I told her. The next question she shot was totally unexpected for me. ‘Which thing in Japan did you like the most?’ As you know, that which is in mind comes out unknowingly. That is what happed with me yesterday. Suddenly I replied ‘garbage management’. She exclaimed ‘what?!!!’ Of course I like many other qualities of Japan and Japanese. But I don’t know somehow I like their garbage management a lot…. may be because I used to think a lot on the matter that even educated people littering the streets and about their mismanagement of garbage. Just for your information I am briefing the system of garbage management here in Tokyo. Hope you find it interesting just as I did. Every house will have a paper pasted on the wall. It reads something like this…
Could you please separate the garbage by the rules?
1. Plastic wrapping materials (Empty bottles of sauces, detergents, shampoos etc, cups of instant noodles, yogurt, jelly etc, shopping bag etc.)
Collected every Monday
Please use a designated bag for ‘plastic wrapping materials’.*
Please empty the contents and wash inside.
2. Empty bottles and cans
Collected every Friday
Please wash the inside and put them in separate bags, either designated bag or transparent/ semi transparent bag.
Papers and cloth- collected every Friday
3. Newspapers, magazines, cardboard boxes, paper packages, clothes
Collected every Friday
Pleas tie up as per each item.
Please avoid placing them on a rainy day.
4. Burnable garbage (Kitchen garbage- food scrap and leftovers, leather goods, synthetic leather goods, video tapes, CDs, cassette tapes, paper diapers, refrigerated materials etc.)
Collected every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday
Please use designated green bag for ‘burnable’.
For kitchen garbage, please drain water.
For oil, please soak into paper or cloth or harden.
5. Non-burnable garbage (Pans, kettles, glass wares, China wares, umbrellas, knives, mirrors, pots, cosmetic bottles etc.)
Collected every Wednesday
Please use the designated bag for ‘non burnable’.
For broken glasses and knives, please wrap with a paper and indicate danger on the bag.
6. Harmful garbage (Dry batteries, fluorescent lamps, mercury thermometers)
Collected every Wednesday
Please do not put harmful garbage together with non burnable garbage.
Please wrap fluorescent lamps with paper and indicate danger on the bag.
Please put dry batteries and thermometers into a transparent bag.
7. Large sized garbage- Please call ……numbers for collection.
8. Household electrical appliances- They are not collectible. If you replace a current appliance with a new one, the purchase shop can take it with some charges.
Please keep the garbage at the garbage dump before 8 AM on the collection days.
Believe me; people separate the garbage according to the rules. Even we do! This may look tedious for the first time. But my experience says, with a little patience we can get adjusted to this system. I am sure all the developed countries must be following their own systematic way of garbage management. When I was in India, though I never used to throw anything on the road, I had never imagined that garbage can be managed so nicely, wisely to keep the surroundings clean.
* Designated garbage disposal bags are available in the market.
Could you please separate the garbage by the rules?
1. Plastic wrapping materials (Empty bottles of sauces, detergents, shampoos etc, cups of instant noodles, yogurt, jelly etc, shopping bag etc.)
Collected every Monday
Please use a designated bag for ‘plastic wrapping materials’.*
Please empty the contents and wash inside.
2. Empty bottles and cans
Collected every Friday
Please wash the inside and put them in separate bags, either designated bag or transparent/ semi transparent bag.
Papers and cloth- collected every Friday
3. Newspapers, magazines, cardboard boxes, paper packages, clothes
Collected every Friday
Pleas tie up as per each item.
Please avoid placing them on a rainy day.
4. Burnable garbage (Kitchen garbage- food scrap and leftovers, leather goods, synthetic leather goods, video tapes, CDs, cassette tapes, paper diapers, refrigerated materials etc.)
Collected every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday
Please use designated green bag for ‘burnable’.
For kitchen garbage, please drain water.
For oil, please soak into paper or cloth or harden.
5. Non-burnable garbage (Pans, kettles, glass wares, China wares, umbrellas, knives, mirrors, pots, cosmetic bottles etc.)
Collected every Wednesday
Please use the designated bag for ‘non burnable’.
For broken glasses and knives, please wrap with a paper and indicate danger on the bag.
6. Harmful garbage (Dry batteries, fluorescent lamps, mercury thermometers)
Collected every Wednesday
Please do not put harmful garbage together with non burnable garbage.
Please wrap fluorescent lamps with paper and indicate danger on the bag.
Please put dry batteries and thermometers into a transparent bag.
7. Large sized garbage- Please call ……numbers for collection.
8. Household electrical appliances- They are not collectible. If you replace a current appliance with a new one, the purchase shop can take it with some charges.
Please keep the garbage at the garbage dump before 8 AM on the collection days.
Believe me; people separate the garbage according to the rules. Even we do! This may look tedious for the first time. But my experience says, with a little patience we can get adjusted to this system. I am sure all the developed countries must be following their own systematic way of garbage management. When I was in India, though I never used to throw anything on the road, I had never imagined that garbage can be managed so nicely, wisely to keep the surroundings clean.
* Designated garbage disposal bags are available in the market.
4 comments:
ಸೀಮಕ್ಕ, ೩ ವರುಷಗಳ ಕೆಳಗೆ ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು ಮಹಾನಗರ ಪಾಲಿಕೆಯಿಂದಲೂ ಸಹ ಇದೇ ಪ್ರಯತ್ನ ನೆಡೆದಿತ್ತು. ಸಾವಯವ, ಮರುಬಳಕೆ ಮಾಡಬಹುದಾದ ಮತ್ತು ಮಾಡಲಾಗದ ತ್ಯಾಜ್ಯಗಳನ್ನು ಪ್ರತ್ಯೇಕವಾಗಿ ಇಡುವಂತೆ ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಮನೆಗಳಿಗೂ ತಿಳಿಸಿ ಅದಕ್ಕೆ ಬೇರೆ ಬೇರೆ ಬಣ್ಣದ ಗುರುತಿರುವ ಚೀಲಗಳನ್ನು ಉಚಿತವಾಗಿ ಕೊಡಲಾಗಿತ್ತು. ಕಸ ಸಂಗ್ರಹಣೆಗೆ ಬರುವ ಗಾಡಿಯಲ್ಲೂ ಸಹ ಪ್ರತ್ಯೇಕ ಕಸ ಸಂಗ್ರಹಣೆ ವ್ಯವಸ್ಥೆ ಇತ್ತು. ಆದರೆ ನಮ್ಮ ಜನ ಆ ಚೀಲಗಳನ್ನು ತಮ್ಮ್ಮ ವೈಯಕ್ತಿಕ ಕೆಲಸಗಳಿಗೆ ಮಹಾನಗರ ಪಾಲಿಕೆ ಯಿಂದ ಬಂದ ಉಡುಗೊರೆ ಎಂಬಂತೆ ಉಪಯೋಗಿಸಿಕೊಂಡರು. ಈಗಲೂ ಕೂಡ ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಎಲ್ಲಾ ರೀತಿಯ ಕಸಗಳನ್ನೂ ಒಟ್ಟು ರಾಶಿ ಸೇರಿಸಿ ಒಂದು ಪ್ಲಾಸ್ಟಿಕ್ಕಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಕಟ್ಟಿ ಕಸದ ಗಾಡಿ ಬಂದಾಗ ಕೊಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಯಾವ garbage managementu ಇಲ್ಲಾ ಏನೂ ಇಲ್ಲಾ. ಎಲ್ಲಿಯವರೆಗೆ ಜನಕ್ಕೆ ಬುದ್ಧಿ ಬರುವುದಿಲ್ಲವೋ ಅಲ್ಲಿವರೆಗೆ ಯಾವ ವ್ಯವಸ್ಥೆಯಿದ್ದರೂ ಯಾವ ಕಾನೂನು ಮಾಡಿದರೂ ಏನೂ ಪ್ರಯೋಜನವಿಲ್ಲ. ಇದು ನಮ್ಮ ದೇಶದ ಕಥೆ ವ್ಯಥೆ :(
ವಿಕಾಸ,
ಇದು ನನಗೆ ಗೊತ್ತಿರಲಿಲ್ಲ.
ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿನಂಥ ವಿದ್ಯಾವಂತರು ಹೆಚ್ಚಿನ ಸಂಖ್ಯೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಇರುವ ನಗರದಲ್ಲಿಯೇ ಈ ವ್ಯವಸ್ಥೆ ನಡೆಯದಿದ್ದುದು ನಿಜಕ್ಕೂ ವಿಪರ್ಯಾಸ.
ಎಲ್ಲದಕ್ಕೂ ನಾಗರಿಕ ಪ್ರಜ್ಞೆಯೇ ಮುಖ್ಯ. ನಾಗರಿಕರೆಂದು ಕರೆಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳುವವರೂ ಕೂಡ ಕಾನೂನನ್ನು ಪಾಲಿಸುವುದು ಹಾಗಿರಲಿ, ಕಾನೂನನ್ನು ಪಾಲಿಸುವವರನ್ನು ಕಂಡು ಗೇಲಿ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಿರುತ್ತಾರೆ.
ಇದು ಎಲ್ಲಿಯವರೆಗೆ ಬದಲಾಗುವುದಿಲ್ಲವೋ ಅಲ್ಲಿಯವರೆಗ ಸ್ವಚ್ಛ ನಗರಗಳು ಭಾರತದಲ್ಲಿ ಕನಸೇ ಸರಿ :(
This is one fine example to know how a country can become advanced, not only in technology, but also in public awareness.
Hope India can be a world leader as Dr. Kalam has envisioned.
Harish,
Let us hope so :)
Post a Comment