As many of you can imagine, with 8 million people living in Bangalore (including the outer areas) garbage volumes are huge. The concerning thing is, that there is very little structure to the collection of rubbish. We are lucky to be living in a gated community where the collection is regular and also provides the options for recycling. This, however, is unusual, and when the garbage leaves here I have no confidence that it is being disposed of correctly anyway. It is often dumped in a landfill area that is not contained and is then blown away, eaten by stray animals or ends up in the water canals.
Outside our own little Truman Show, the situation is very different. Many people are lucky to even have a place to call home let alone services to that place - including electricity, water, gas, and, of course, rubbish collection. They resort to dumping their garbage wherever and whenver they like. Bangalore was once renowned for its beautiful parks and lakes but they are now full of polluting garbage and are basically too far-gone for saving. The streets and gutters are the most common place for people to dump there rubbish, and there it lies for the stray dogs and cows to consume. Large numbers of cows are found dead in the city due to eating the plastic bags or other 'non-perishable' garbage items. They are often left for days awaiting the 'collection' team to move them on.
There has been a huge push for Banglore to 'clean up' its act and its a political hot potato at the moment. As much as everyone wants a solution, it is difficult to get the backing of all relevant parties to make it a reality. The companies involved always want to make a profit but at the expense of the solution actually getting the backing to be implemented. The people with the power to make a difference are usually wealthier and 'have their own solution' but are not keen to implement it across the city. It will also take a huge mindset adjustment to change the 'dumping culture' that has prevailed for so long.
Small communities are making there own difference by taking responsibility for areas that effect them. Our Palm Meadows Association spent the last weekend completing there first 'clean up' just outside the gates of Palm Meadows. It was a prime dumping ground for all things 'garbage' - and boy did it stink!! There has been no shame in throwing your rubbish anywhere you wish, and this is the mindset that is trying to be changed. If each of the wealthier communites take on this sort of challenge it might change the attitude of the people doing the dumping. Its a long shot but one that many feel is desperately needed. The members here even took shifts for the first few days to try and stop people dumping again but it still happened. The old mindset is still there.
Below are some of the before and after shots of the area outside our gates.
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| Before the clean up |
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| This is what the majority of the footpaths look like and this was just outside our gates. |
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| After the cleanup |
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| the first night after the cleanup :( |
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