Saritha
Sudhakaran is an urban designer by training, but in the last four years that she has lived in Goa, this
resident of Fatorda has transformed herself into a waste management evangelist.
The journey began in 2016, when she got an opportunity to
spearhead a research project on waste management practices in the municipal
regions of Goa. Soon, Saritha also spent a year as an advisor to the Waste
Management Corporation of Goa, working on waste management planning for three
villages in Goa.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
More recently, Saritha devised a 12-week programme called the
‘Waste Less Project’ (WLP) through which she guides waste management
enthusiasts and concerned citizens in Goa to reduce waste.
The young urban designer is of the firm belief that if every
citizen in the state reduced their daily waste generation, it could help win
the battle against waste in the state.
Saritha recently completed the first version of the WLP which
saw as many as 70 enthusiastic citizens signing up for the project and 22 citizens
actually completing the 12-week schedule.
The project saw Saritha hand-hold and guide participants over
email and Whatsapp about the multiple ways in which they could cut down waste
in their daily lives. Saritha also advised participants to use eco-friendly and
sustainable products. For instance, on how to use soap nut as a base product
and mix it with coconut oil, aloe vera, chickpea, cucumber and turmeric to
replace some commercial, personal care products. Also, how to use bio-enzymes
as a base, mix it with soap nut, baking soda, lime and water to replace the
commercial chemical cleaning agents that we often use at home.
Saritha also
encourages the use of bamboo handle tooth brushes, wooden combs, bamboo ear
buds, bamboo razors and sustainable menstruation products.
Participants were
able to clarify doubts over Whatsapp and also meet with Saritha on weekends or
in a monthly meeting, where experiences were shared and discussed.
Says Devaki Shinkre,
software professional from the Ucassaim village in Bardez and one of the
participants of the first WLP, “The Waste Less Project has completely changed
my life. Since I live in a village, there is no door-to-door wet garbage
collection and I used to feel terrible about not being able to do anything about
it. This project introduced me to the art of composting and how easy it is to
do. Now, I do not throw out any biodegradable waste from my kitchen and
actually turn it into rich manure for my plants. It also taught me to make
bio-enzymes at home from citrus peels and introduced me to the humble soap nut,
both of which have made my laundry routine a completely waste less activity.”
As a part of the
project, participants were also taken to waste management entrepreneur Clinton
Vaz’s waste recycling unit at the Nessai Industrial Estate in South Goa.
According to Saritha, Clinton explained to the participants the importance of
wet and dry waste segregation at the home level and the waste management
scenario in Goa.
Saritha is happy with
the manner in which her project has panned out. Among the many positive
off-shoots is an emerging cloth bag project, which she hopes to drive in the
village of Ambora with the help of local youth. She has also initiated a
‘barter club’, where participants meet and exchange products like recyclable
glass jars, vermi-composting worms, plants and old clothes which can be
converted into cloth bags or cushion covers.
The
good news is that Saritha is launching the second edition of her 12-week,
‘Waste Less Project’, which will kick off on June 3.
