Seattle to penalize those who waste food; Can't India adopt the idea?

Bangalore, Sept 25: This is that time of the year - October 2 - when Indians prepare to wield broom and clean up the country. Here is a novel idea that Seattle has already implemented, which India too can adopt.

Recently, Seattle authorities brought a rule that residents who throw too many uneaten food leftovers in their regular garbage will be penalized. The city council voted on Monday to impose a $1 fine on residents each time they fill more than 10 percent of their home garbage with compostable waste, like food leftovers and paper products, said a Reuters report.

The report says that for repeat offenders, the fine increases to $50. The new law is an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, environmental officials said.

Seattle is the second US city after San Francisco to make composting mandatory. According to the National Resource Defense Council, 40% of food purchased in the United States is thrown out.

Seattle's trash collectors will oversee the new rule. They will enter violations into a computerized system. Offenders will then receive a notice on their garbage bin that a fine will be included on their next bill.

In India, garbage disposal is one of the worst problems. Bangalore produces 4000 tonnes of waste generated every day, while other major metro cities like Delhi and Mumbai generates 8,500 tonnes and 7,500 tonnes of waste everyday. Now that dumpyards in all the cities have reached the saturation point, India requires a well-laid out garbage disposal plan, which was one of the major promises the BJP had in its poll manifesto.

Separating organic and inorganic waste at home is a practice many cities have already adopted. Now, reducing the amount of garbage is another challenge India needs to take up.

Organic garbage mainly includes food waste and the inorganic includes plastic, glass and paper. Converting organic waste into biofuel which can be used in cooking or as fertilizers and recycling inorganic waste has to be ideally the next step.

Prime minister Narendra Modi is all set to launch a sanitation mission - Swacch Bharat, to promote cleanliness and sanitation in urban areas. It is also known that the government has allocated a huge budget of Rs 62,009 crore for the programme.

Oneindia News