Minimizing our waste

The idea of non-recycled waste is simply not conducive to a balanced, holistic way of living. If we look to Nature as our teacher, we see that everything is reused and recycled as part of the wonderfully perfect cycle of life.

Living a relatively simple existence in a forest community, I feel a deep sense of satisfaction in composting all of our food waste, lighting a ceremonial fire to burn our paper, and then collecting the ash and returning it to the soil where our vegetables and fruit can then grow. We aim to use minimal plastic and wash it before placing it in the recycling bin. Glass jars are reused and metal cleaned and recycled. However, there is still much room for improvement.

One of the things I love about living in India is that there is still a ‘make do and mend’ culture here (although, sadly, this seems to be slowly diminishing). We are blessed to have so many skilled artisans craftspeople, from shoe makers to carpenters, to tailors and metal workers who can, at affordable rates, repair our broken or torn items so that we can continue to use them and so avoid sending them to landfill. Sometimes, however, repairing and reusing just isn’t an option.

So how, then, can we become more effective at reducing and recycling our waste products? Well, education can help enormously, and in Auroville we are fortunate to have a dedicated team of eco-warriors who not only collect and recycle the waste from as many as 10-12 thousand people every day in the peak season, but also help to educate us on how to become more conscious consumers, and why it is so important to carefully segregate our waste. This team is the Auroville Eco Service, and is composed of six ladies who sort the collected waste, one driver, and team managers Kali and Palani who oversee the running of the unit.

The Auroville Eco Service is primarily a waste management unit which collects from 350 locations in Auroville, including schools, businesses, housing communities and farms, and processes approximately 9 tons of waste per month. It practices micro segregation of that waste into no less than 80 different categories. Some items are actually redirected rather than recycled, as the Eco Service actively supports anyone with innovative ‘upcycling’ ideas and will diligently collect any specifically requested items which can be put to good use in this way. It caters not just to Aurovilians, but invites all who wish to manage their waste responsibly to use the service.

Talks on waste management and guided tours of the waste processing unit are given to all interested parties from local schools, universities, Auroville volunteers and government representatives. Palani visits local villages to educate on why responsible waste management is so crucial for the wellbeing of everyone living there. He explains how sickness inevitably ensues when toxic waste mountains are left to eventually contaminate groundwater, which in turn will poison the drinking water of future generations. He gives the example of how fish are poisoned by this waste and how those who then eat that fish will become ill.

I was fortunate to have the chance to speak briefly with Palani and Kali about their work, and felt inspired by their enthusiasm and dedication. It was heartening to learn that they have witnessed marked improvements in recycling habits in the last couple of years, both of residents in Auroville and its neighbouring communities.

With knowledge and understanding we can all learn to make better choices as consumers. From my chat with Kali and Palani, I learned that simply avoiding tetrapaks and the multi-layered packaging such as silver foil-lined crisp packets which are prevalent today, can make a big difference.

A truly conscious society produces zero waste, and this is precisely the goal that Auroville has set for itself.