Children lining up to sell plastic waste at the 2nd ‘Dustbinless Festival Drive’ on Sunday, December 16. (Photo Courtesy: Kaibi Village Authority)
Kaibi Village Authority in Senapati district observes 2nd edition of
Dustbinless Festival Drive
Morung Express News
Dimapur | December 16
In a bid to make the village ‘plastic free’ and encourage better management of solid waste, Kaibi Village Authority in Manipur’s Senapati district took a rather unusual measure to buy plastic waste and scrap from the villagers.
It organized the first Dustbinless Festival Drive in 2017 with the Village Authority buying 8000 kg of plastic and scraps from village households at Rs 20 per kg, spending Rs. 1.8 Lakh, literally turning rubbish to gold.
On December 16, Sunday, the village observed the second edition of the Dustbinless Festival Drive.
Although the Drive is a yearlong program, the collection and sale of waste is timed around the festive season to build up momentum for the festivities. Also, farmers and students are comparatively free round this time of the year.
“The program is simple but it has the unique impact of creating awareness of keeping the village clean and working to make it a plastic free zone,” said Dr. Saheni Loli, Coordinator of the Village Beautification Committee, while speaking to The Morung Express. “The idea,” he noted, “was to make the villagers benefit from cleaning the village, thereby creating a win-win situation.”
Since the first edition, the village authority has installed dustbins every 100 meters across the village.
“The amount of plastic has drastically fallen and we hardly see any plastic on the streets now,” informed Dr. Loli.
This year, the village authority bought 500 kg of plastic at Rs 10 per kg, spending Rs. 8000.
Dr. Loli acknowledged, “As much as we want to pay for the plastic waste to encourage the villagers, we cannot pay so much and therefore we have reduced the price.”
The village has not received any assistance or official recognition from State authorities so far but is determined to continue with the program as long as it takes to make the village ‘plastic free.’ Manipur State Government PHED Minister, L Dikho, has assured to build a waste management site for the Village.
Every household have been instructed to keep two dustbins: one biodegradable and one non-degradable. The Village Beautification Committee conducts ‘Saturday Cleaning’ with school children. Men folk take part in the village by planting decorative plants along the roads.
With the burden of cleanliness and beautification of public spaces often falling on women, the Village Authority and Beautification Committee remain committed to ensuring that every person becomes a part of this program.
The Dustbinless Festival Drive was conceptualized by Pf Athishu, former Village Secretary who is now co-coordinator of the Beautification Committee, which is appointed by the Village Authority and works in coordination.
