WASTE NO MORE! – SAYS MUMBAI. SOCIETIES, STUDENTS AND ACTIVISTS COME TOGETHER AT JUHU BEACH

• Waste No More, a unique public-private partnership bought together housing societies, Area Locality Managers (ALMs) and beach clean-up volunteers for a special evening.
• Best performing ALMS, residential societies, commercial institutions (hotels, hospitals, banking organisations) and staff workers were felicitated by Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai
• 120+ volunteers came together to collected mixed waste from the beach.
• 100 dustbins (for dry and wet waste separately) were distributed to food-stalls, to encourage right waste segregation practices

MUMBAI, 7 MARCH, 2022 (GPN): With the shared vision of improving Mumbai’s waste management, the ‘Waste No More’ initiative, focused on waste collection and responsible disposal of dry waste, hosted a special event at Juhu Beach this Saturday.

In partnership with the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM), SBI Foundation, Hindustan Unilever, Xynteo Vikaasa and Dalmia PolyPro, the Waste No More initiative aims to create an end-to-end waste management solution.

The event brought together housing societies, Area Locality Managements (ALMs), youth activists and environment enthusiasts with the objective of working towards the mission of Swachh Bharat. More than 120 young volunteers from nearby colleges, clubs and groups came together to collect mixed waste from the beach and its surroundings. The Waste No More team also hosted awareness session with the beach-side & food-stall vendors on waste segregation practices and distributed 50 pairs of blue and green dustbins for separate dry and wet waste disposal, thereby ensuring proper segregation of waste.

Speaking on the promise of Waste No More initiative, Dr. (Smt.) Sangeeta Hasanale, Deputy Commissioner (Solid Waste Management), Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM), said:

“This initiative involves all the stakeholders of the waste value chain to come together and create a long-term difference in the society. The event at Juhu Beach swelled my heart and it was great to notice that the youth of the city are so excited and enthusiastic about participating in environment related activities. This reinforces my belief that if we take this behavior change transformation to other parts of the city, the whole of Mumbai can benefit enormously from the same. Doing so, our city will benefit from an ecosystem that creates environmental consciousness, as well as a steady means of income for the informal sector.”

MCGM felicitated the housing societies and ALMs who are successfully segregating their waste into dry and wet bins and qualify for the 5% property tax rebate. The data on waste segregation uploaded on MCGM’s MyWaste portal is reviewed by MCGM regularly and qualifies the societies and ALMs for a property tax rebate.

Recognising the efforts of societies and ALMs, Dr. Prithviraj Chauhan, Assistant Municipal Commissioner, K West Ward, The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM), said, “These societies, ALMs and staff members are sterling examples of commitment and effort towards keeping their community and environment clean. The management committees of the societies deserve the applause for implementing the waste segregation practice efficiently and in turn, qualifying for the property tax benefit incentives offered by MCGM. I strongly urge the entire community to come participate in our waste management program and work towards becoming a zero-waste ward and ultimately a zero-waste city.”

Recognising the participation of the youth, Mr. Lalit Mohan, COO and President, SBI Foundation, said, “The involvement of the youth and community, in our innovative programs, like Waste No More, is crucial for bringing sustainable waste management practices in our society,” stated in the press release.

The evening concluded with a beach clean-up where youth volunteers and residents came together in micro-groups to collect waste from the beach and its surroundings; in adherence to the COVID-related norms. The clean-up was also complemented by a Nukkad Natak where a group of volunteers addressed the crowd with messages on the importance of segregation and the benefits with the mission of educating the community. For this purpose of community education, our Waste No More partner, Hindustan Unilever has also launched the ‘Hum Ek Kachra Zero’ campaign and will continue to spread awareness on this issue.Ends