1.

Name any 5 things you throw in the garbage bin

Various things add to garbage

Leftover food

Pencil dust

Chocolate wrappers

Kitchen Waste

Plastic bottles
2. Do you separate the garbage generated at home as wet and dry garbage. In what coloured do
you throw them? Why do you think we should separate the garbage this way?

Waste management starts at the household level, and is not that difficult to achieve. Even
a few minor changes can go a long way.

 At home, we keep separate containers for dry and wet waste in the kitchen. We sort the dry
and wet waste at home into blue and green bins. These bins were distributed to every apartment
in our society.
 Items like aluminum foils, tetra packs, glass, paper, plastics, metals, etc. fall under the
dry waste bin
 Whereas kitchen waste such as stale food, fruits and vegetables come go into the wet
waste bin
 We give away dry waste for recycle
 We send wet waste out of the home daily.

Unfortunately, the rubbish that is not recycled mostly ends up in incinerators that cause severe
pollution. A part of the waste is also put into landfills. This is not only very bad for the environment,
but it is also bad financially. Recycling materials such as glass, steel, paper and aluminium cost
considerably less money than manufacturing it from raw materials and saves energy and resources
3. Does your society recycle the wet waste generated by the members? If yes, what product do
they get out of it and where is it used? if no, then find out from societies which recycles their wet
wastes

In our building we have 2 bins, one for dry waste and the other for wet waste. We segregate all the
dry waste in the green bin and the same is given out once in a week for recycle. However, we do
not recycle the wet waste.

But I am aware of a few societies in Powai, who take the unused/ leftover/ rotten fruits/ vegetables
from their kitchen and put it under the soil of the plants they have in their kitchen garden. As for
meat and bones, they give them to their pet or stray animals.
4. Find form the net how much garbage Mumbai city generates in a day and how does the BMC
collect the garbage and where do they dump it in the city? What problems do these garbage
dumps, pose to the people around?

Mumbai generates waste to the tune of approximately 7,025tonnes per day. The waste consists of:
5,025 tonnes of mixed waste (bio-degradable and recyclable) and 2,000tonnes of debris and silt.

Garbage collectors employed by various housing societies manually collect the waste generated at
the household level and dump it in the garbage bin at specified street corners. There are around
5,800 community bins in the city. In case of South Mumbai, trucks collect garbage from the garbage
bins and transport it to a transfer station which is located in Mahalakshmi. A separate transport is
arranged for transferring the garbage from Mahalakshmi to the northern part of Mumbai where the
dumping grounds are situated. From all other parts of the city, garbage is sent directly to the dumping
grounds. Nearly 95% of the waste generated in the city is disposed off in this manner.

A dumping ground is, generally, a low-lying, and marshy area, which is located on the outskirts of a
city, where there is, usually, no human population. We have, in our city, three dumping grounds
which are located in the northern part of Mumbai at Gorai (Borivali), Mulund and Deonar. A fourth
one at Chincholi has recently closed down. Amongst the three, Deonar is the largest dumping
ground. All the dumping grounds are nearly 30-40km from South Mumbai which explains the huge
costs on transportation. The increase in the population of the city has forced people to settle near
the dumping grounds. This has led to the twin problems of people living in unhealthy conditions and
protesting for the closure of the dumping grounds, as dumping causes health hazards for the people
in the vicinity.

Deonar dumping ground

Problems faced by people around dumps
5. Suggest a simple activity that you can do at your home to compost the wet waste. During your
vacation do this activity and take the pictures of the same, periodically and paste in your project
book. Also attach the sample of the compost produced (approximately 250 gms) in a pouch

1. Separate your edible kitchen waste (vegetable peels, fruit peels, small amounts of wasted
cooked food) in a container
2. Collect dry organic matter (dried leaves, sawdust) in a small container
3. Take a large earthen pot or a bucket and drill 4 – 5 holes around the container at different
levels to let air inside.
4. Line the bottom with a layer of soil.
5. Now start adding food waste in layers alternating wet waste (food scraps, vegetable and
fruit peels) with dry waste (straw, sawdust, dried leaves).
6. Cover this container with a plastic sheet or a plank of wood to help retain moisture and
heat.
7. Every few days, use a rake to give the pile a quick turn to provide aeration. If you think
the pile is too dry, sprinkle some water so that it is moist.
8. Within 2 - 3 months, your pile should start forming compost that is dry, dark brown and
crumbly and smelling of earth. There are also readymade composting kits available for
those who want to overcome initial resistance to starting composting.
6. As a student, what suggestions you would give to the other students to reduce the amount of
garbage generated by them? Prepare a poster on this. (Size A4 paper will be provided by the
school)

I would suggest the following

 Think green before you shop. Before starting the new school year, look through last year’s
materials. Many items can be reused or recycled.
 Purchase and use school supplies made from recycled products, such as pencils made from
old blue jeans and binders made from old shipping boxes.
 Keep waste out of landfills by using school supplies wrapped in minimal packaging, and buying
in bulk when possible.
 Save packaging, colored paper, egg cartons and other items for arts and crafts projects. Look
for other ways that you can reduce the amount of packing that you throw away.
 Maintain new school supplies. Keep track of pens and pencils. Make an effort to put your things
in a safe place every day. This will not only reduce waste, but save you money in the long run.
 If you bring your lunch to school, package it in reusable containers instead of disposable ones.
Carry food in reusable plastic or cloth bags, and bring drinks in a thermos instead of
disposable bottles or cartons.
 When buying lunch, grab only what you need. Too often extra ketchup packets and napkins go
to waste.
 Remember to recycle your cans and bottles after you finish eating.
 Work with your teachers to set up a composting program at school.
 Make posters that remind students what can be composted or recycled.
7. Make a greeting card out of recycled paper (you are to recycle the waste paper and take the
photos at each step). The method of recycling the paper is given in the text book

Cut the paper pieces not more than 1 Put some warm water n keep for 30 min
or 2 cm or over night

Make the slurry in the grinder n put some water Drain the water thru a sieve and
while grinding leave it on a piece of cloth for dry
Handmade paper after it is completely
dried