kitchen waste

rainwater harvesting

Defence Research and Development Organisation

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Purushothaman shows his water bill

He is also involved with an NGO that segregates garbage and makes compost

By Y Maheswara ReddyPurushothaman is a zero-waste warrior. He has been compostingsince 1996. And his water bill is just Rs 100, thanks to the 60,000 litres he’s saved up usingIf there were more people like Purusho­thaman P, the world would be a cleaner place. Garbage and overflowing landfills would not be a problem and neither would there be fat water bills.Purushothaman, a retired technician of(DRDO), has found a way to lead a zero-waste life. The resident of Ashraya Layout, Thambu Chetty Palya in east Bengaluru, has not handed over any wet waste to conservancy workers who collect garbage, for a few years now. And not just this, he conducts classes for communities in Ramamurthy Nagar, Pai Layout and other areas on how to convert kitchen waste into compost, and achieve a zero-waste lifestyle.“We (his family) have not handed over kitchen waste to conservancy workers since 1996. Our contribution to the landfill in the form of wet waste is zero. We have been converting the kitchen waste into compost and using it as manure for plants. Converting kitchen waste into compost is easy and it can be done at home without fear that it will release a bad odour,” says Purushothaman.So committed is Purusho­thaman to the cause of zero-waste that he spends his weekends conducting classes on waste management, composting and trying to create a pollution-free environment, at Thambu Chetty Palya.“When I was employed, I had utilized all my earned leave to spread awareness about composting and leading a zero-waste lifestyle. After retirement, I have been spending my time trying to create awareness among residents on waste management,” says Purushothaman, who is also the president of KR Puram Rising, a movement by the people of KR Puram, for the people of KR Puram.As a student, every summer, Purushothaman would go back home to his village and help in constructing shelters for the homeless. But after shifting to Ramamurthy Nagar, he was shocked to see the streets littered with garbage. After talking to a few friends, he took the initiative to launch a non-governmental organization (NGO) to do social work with a special focus on reducing garbage in the area.“A few friends and I established Service India in 1996 to start door-to-door garbage collection in Ramamurthy Nagar. There were only 4,000 houses in Ramamurthy Nagar and the area was under KR Puram City Municipal Council. The KR Puram City Municipal Council conservancy workers would visit our homes just once a week and it was very difficult for us to manage our waste. So, our NGO, engaged 32 workers for door-to-door garbage collection. They would segregate the garbage which would then be composted,’’ he recalls.Another feather in Purushothaman’s cap is rainwater harvesting. While most of the residents of Ramamurthy Nagar and Thambu Chetty Palya and even KR Puram are worried about water supply in summer, Purushothaman is unperturbed since he and his family is not dependant on Cauvery water. “I do not have a borewell but there is no need for me to depend on Cauvery water. Our monthly water bill is around Rs 100. I have saved around 60,000 litres of rainwater in two sumps with each having 30,000 litres capacity. My next goal is to reduce our dependence on Bengaluru Electricity Supply Company (Bescom) for electricity. I want to generate electricity by using rainwater in the near future,’’ he says.Purushothaman has also started a dress bank to collect used clothes. “Our intention is to make the best use of used clothes. We collect used clothes from donors and give them to the needy people, especially conservancy workers,’’ he says. He also donates books to school children. “I have been spending my pension to buy notebooks for needy children, besides taking donors’ help. On an average, we distribute 40,000 to 50,000 notebooks every year,’’ he signs off with lot of satisfaction.May his tribe increase.