Garbage Girl on a Clean-Up Mission

Written by Caroline / 09 May 2010 / Read Caroline's latest blog entries.

Crossposted from The Tribune

She is fondly called the “garbage girl” of Bhagsunag. Jodie Underhill, a resident of England, had come to Dharamsala as a tourist. However, today she is actively involved in saving the higher reaches of Himalayas from solid waste spread by trekkers that as earned her the name of ‘garbage girl’ of Bhasunag.

Every week she can be seen on the rocky 7-km-trek that runs from the grassy summit of Triund through the hills of the Dhauladhar range, with a group of volunteers and donkeys bringing back 35 sacks of trash.

The bags, displaying messages for proper disposal of solid waste, can be seen at every tea shop enroute Triund and near the resting places of tourists.

While talking to The Tribune, she said, “I am surprised how such huge quantity of broken glass reach the virgin heights of mountains. It seems that trekkers carry beer and whisky bottles and are dumping there.”

She has managed to raise a group of volunteers from among the local youth and visiting tourists who have been named as “Mountain Cleaners”.

The cleanup is a weekly event organised by them.

Along with local volunteers, the Mountain Cleaners brigade has cleaned up the waterfall area near Bhagsunag.

Jodie said she returned to India this year with a sense of mission. “I spent some time to learn about waste management by visiting environmental projects and organisations, learning about waste management systems, composting, rainwater harvesting and biogas. I met volunteers of the India Climate Solutions and numerous ragpickers’ association to gain a greater understanding of how waste could be managed,” she said.

On returning to Bhagsunag, Jodie immediately started recruiting volunteers to continue with the waste collection programme at Triund.

Every Monday a group of volunteers, headed by her, go up the mountain to sort the waste from tea shops en route and at Triund.

The group stays overnight and then tackles the mountain side the following day. The bags are then brought down the mountain on donkeys.

Each donkey costs Rs 200 and about eight donkeys are used each week. The entire cost of the project is covered by Jodie who is now in the process of registering the group as an NGO.

Thanks to Jodie for her work, and for her incredible documentation along the way! Here's to more waste solutions!