The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Tackling rubbish, Baker style

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jul 14, 2005

Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Tackling rubbish, Baker style

POLLUTION OF RIVERS: One of the sketches in Laurie Baker's book

At a time when urban authorities are grappling with the problem of managing garbage and stinking waste piles are a common sight on the roads, veteran architect Laurie Baker is offering down-to-earth eco-friendly solutions that cost next to nothing for tackling the knotty issue.

Baker had outlined his ideas in a slim book, "Rubbish by Baker", printed in manuscript form and replete with illustrations, brought out some time ago. The architect, who is renowned for his Gandhian approach to construction, lays thrust on self-help rather than over-dependence on the official authorities.

Referring to the tendency to "turn rivers into waste-paper baskets", he recalls his visit to a famous tourist town. "When the tourist uses a particular `facility', and pulls the chain, his contributions shoot straight out into the river where his fellow tourists are boarding sight-seeing boats. Some sights!" writes Baker.

The first thing, he says, is to lessen the amount of garbage generated in homes and shops and by producers of goods such as milk, cement, sweets, etc. Plastic can be burnt, but it pollutes the atmosphere badly. It can be recycled, but this needs scarce energy. "We must carry our own bag of cloth or paper so that there is no need for a kg of potatoes or tomatoes to be given to us in a plastic bag," he points out.

There are many easy ways to reduce household rubbish. Almost everything that can rot or decompose, such as vegetable waste, tea leaves, fruit skins, etc, can be separated. If a householder has a square metre of land, this can be turned into good compost for the garden.

All waste paper should be kept as smooth and uncrumpled as possible so that it can be sold to the waste paper shop. Similarly, tins, bottles (even broken glass), plastic bottles, all forms of metal (toothpaste tubes, metal wrapping, containers, old metal utensils, etc.); can be sold to dealers who in turn pass on these materials for recycling by experts.

Each family can have, say, four bags, preferably of the sort of paper used for packaging cement, to deposit waste. These can be of four different colours— for organic waste, for metals, for glass and for plastics. These bags can be arranged to be collected by neighbourhood groups at agreed times for disposal to appropriate dealers or recyclers.

The book suggests providing portable light-weight containers, possibly of fibre-glass, to shops, stall-owners and food vends, which could be collected out of hours. Permanent structures holding removable containers could also be set up for the purpose.

It is for the authorities to arrange for the regular emptying of the containers. "It may be needed to fine the stall-owners if they do not make use of this facility," writes Baker.

The book suggests that small vehicles rather than lorries and trucks be used to transport garbage, depending on the distance. Much of the rubbish comes not from the main roads, but places reached by paths and lanes. Adapted autorickshaws, bicycles and tricycles can reach almost anywhere.

Advantages

There are many other advantages in using a cycle to carry rubbish, points out Baker. One can buy 200 cycles for the cost of one truck; they need no fuel; do not cause air or noise pollution; create unskilled employment; and there is no need to lift the rubbish high when loading the containers.

Teaching children to deal with rubbish is important, writes Baker. They should be taught not to create needless rubbish; not to throw rubbish about; and to keep various types of rubbish separately in bags. "School teachers should help in making children rubbish conscious and rubbish careful," he adds.

M. Harish Govind

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