Waste collected on the occasion of bhogi at Wated 360, a thrift store at Thyagaraya Nagar in Chennai on Saturday.
| Photo Credit: AKHILA EASWARAN
As Bhogi approaches, a day traditionally marked by burning old belongings to make way for new beginnings, concerns about the environmental impact of this ritual have surfaced. Burning items leads to significant air pollution, which harms both public health and the environment, severely reducing air quality and causing respiratory issues.
In response, the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) has urged the public to celebrate Bhogi in an eco-friendly manner. The TNPCB has emphasised the importance of avoiding the burning of plastics, tyres, rubber tubes, old clothes, and other pollutants commonly discarded during the festivities. Similarly, the Greater Chennai Corporation has appealed to the public to refrain from burning waste and instead hand over unwanted items to conservancy workers, who conduct door-to-door waste collection.
Residents across Chennai are adopting more sustainable ways to dispose of old possessions. Sreevidhya Ashok, a resident of Velachery, actively promotes responsible waste management. She organises waste collection drives in her apartment complex, which has 450 residents. Twice a year, around 100 families participate in discarding old items. “My parking lot turns into a mountain of trash,” she says, noting that more residents are showing interest in participating. She believes stricter government regulations are needed to manage waste effectively.
Organisations like Wasted360, specialising in waste management and recycling, are helping facilitate the recycling of household items, clothes, kitchen utensils, and e-waste. Ann Anra of Wasted360 stresses that residents must be proactive in segregating their waste, saying, “My waste is my responsibility.” Ahead of Pongal, Wasted360 conducted a successful collection drive at Lady Andal on January 9 and has two more drives planned for January 13 at Kaylir Canteen, CIT Colony, and Sundari Silks in T Nagar and Adyar.
In Karpagam Avenue, Adyar, Gayathri Jayaraman, an active participant in local sustainability initiatives, underscores the importance of waste segregation and responsible disposal. Her community, through its Residents Welfare Association, engages in rainwater harvesting, tree plantation, and waste segregation. Items like e-waste, plastic, clothes, and mattresses are collected at two waste collection points and sent to segregation centres.
Janani Venkitesh of ROKA encourages residents to avoid burning or hoarding waste and instead focus on regular, responsible disposal. She has noticed a shift in community behaviour, with more residents storing old items for drives. Though this year’s drive was slightly delayed, it is set to take place in the third week of January.
Published – January 12, 2025 01:07 am IST