CHENNAI: It does not require brilliance to innovate. All it requires is some thought and the will to continue with the effort should become a habit, say innovators of the concept of `zero' garbage. These innovators are ordinary citizens who have learnt to improve their surroundings and make their street, town and village a clean, green place, almost at no cost.

Rubbish thrown into the dust-bin could be recycled at home in tiny baskets, either under the staircase or in the balcony.

Kitchen waste could be used to grow a vegetable patch. Plants grow anywhere if one has the will to nurture them: this was the message Exnora International innovators have brought out through their CD.

Just plant a pipe in the balcony and fill it with soil. Plant a few seeds and soon you will have a `sky garden.' If you cannot find a pipe, set up a pole and hang small pots. Grow greens that you can include in your diet.

When a few hundred brains get together they can do wonders. The Civic Exnora people from across the State have learnt to innovate simply by making cleanliness a habit. In Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, a young innovator has built a toilet where people voluntarily drop coins to use it. The reason? In the evenings, classes are held for poor children inside the toilet.

If Vellore has become a model town for zero garbage, then why not Chennai? Some innovators in the city have converted the tiny spot of land before their house into a garden. In other places, wasteland has been converted into water tanks with pathways and shrubs lining the edges.

For the innovators waste is wealth. By their example, they have shown that solid waste management is not a problem provided each citizen knows to manage his waste. Collecting garbage has also become a way to employ jobless youth. They could take up composting and earn money.

Exnora International has packaged all its experiments in the form of a CD so that anyone who wishes to begin source segregation can buy the CD. It is a collection of ideas implemented in various parts of Chennai and in other parts of the State.

The Exnora innovators say if you assiduously follow their example, you may have to buy waste to meet your needs.

Some members have begun treating wastewater to meet the needs of their plants. In one case, a person uses bacteria in the septic tank to treat waste.

A.V.M. Saravanan released the CD on Solid Waste Management. M.B. Nirmal, founder of Exnora International said, the CD, which is for sale could be used by anybody. ``You can use any method you find suitable. We have presented you the experience of the various members of our club.''

At a meeting the innovators honoured S. Appasamy, chairman of Hotel Residency Towers and B.P. Jain, chartered accountant. They were presented the `Friends of Exnora' award. S.P. Thyagarajan, Vice-chancellor, University of Madras, also participated.

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