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Saahas is a voluntary organisation in Bangalore, committed to finding solutions to solid waste management in the city. Saahas provide waste solutions to households and businesses and is supported by numerous organizations including The State Bank of India (SBOI) and Nokia India Pvt Ltd.

I had the opportunity to meet and talk with Wilma and Patma from Saahas who were extremely helpful and arranged for me to visit some of their projects. Not only have Saahas greatly improved working conditions for rag pickers but they also adhere to and promote the use of legislation such as the Solid Waste Management and Handling Rules. These Rules specify the correct use and disposal of waste and protects the people that have to work with it. It was reassuring to see that the workers at Saahas have the equipment they need to do their jobs – gloves, masks, aprons etc and that the working conditions were good. The organization and its staff are to be congratulated on a job well done.

K.N. Vitobha Nagar a supervisor showed me the waste segregation and composting units at The State Bank of India head office and the affluent Bangalore Club.

Auroville is a “project in human unity”, an international community based just over the Pondicherry border in Northern Tamil Nadu. The once barren landscape is now lush and green thanks to the tree planting efforts of the first inhabitants and is home to over 1800 people from India and 35 other countries. The residents are involved in a range of activities including a cashless economy, environmental regeneration, organic farming , appropriate building technology and renewable energy.

I thought that Auroville would be the mecca of environmental awareness but that’s certainly not the case when it comes to waste management. Their visitors centre is over run by hordes of tourists every day yet the three recycling bins that they have are just used as general garbage bins.

Their environmental displays don’t mention anything about the way their waste is managed and the guide leaflet and map doesn’t list it’s Eco-service. There is rubbish everywhere and the surrounding Tamil villages are clogged with garbage. I should have known really as the waste management page on the website hasn’t been updated since 2003 when bullock carts where used to collect people’s rubbish.

We were able to visit the Eco-Service and Rajamanikkam and his colleagues were very helpful and obviously working hard.

I have come to India to continue with a waste management project set up last year at Triund, a beautiful mountain camp in the Himalayas and a four hour hike from McLeod Ganj the home of the Dalai Lama. In a quest for inspiration, recycling info and knowledge I have decided to visit various environmental projects on my way from Goa back to the mountains.

India Climate Solutions put me in touch with Clinton Vaz, a truly inspirational guy and probably the nicest man you’ll ever meet. He has set up numerous recycling projects and is most certainly not in it for the money. It’s his life and if this man can’t persuade people to go green then no-one can!