The Hindu's Clean Chennai

Speaking at The Hindu’s Clean Chennai @ Home workshop at Bhavan’s Rajaji Vidyashram, Kilpauk, on Sunday, founder of Paperman, Mathew Jose, explained how to recycle paper and plastic with the help of the friendly neighbourhoodkailaan kadai karan (raddiwallah/kabadi wallah) or ‘waste entrepreneurs’ as he prefers to call them.

“Speaking from the perspective of the people in this informal industry, they are ignored by the government and ostracised by people. They do a great service by reducing various types of pollution and taking away the things that would normally clutter up landfills,” said Mr. Jose. He remarked that over 14 million tons of waste produced across India is worth about Rs. 15 to 20 crores to this industry.

The idea behind a model like Paperman is to connect residents to the local scrap and waste paper dealer and provide them with a simple yet effective way of collecting the things they can sell. Mr. Jose said, “We provide a bag to organise and collect newspapers and magazines and other scraps of paper. When this is full, they can call the helpline and give their details. Within 48 hours, a person will take it away at the fairest price possible. This ensures convenience for the consumer and an assured haul for the dealer, so everyone is happy.”

Alternatively, the enterprise gives an opportunity to help the less fortunate by investing the waste in a social cause. Homes can choose the cause they wish to support and the more waste they collect, the more they contribute. Currently, Paperman works with 220 houses and three NGOs in the city. They support the education of several hundred students.

Mr. Jose says a household can easily recycle even without the help of an organisation like Paperman. “Each household should take the ownership of recycling the generated waste. If there is a waste paper dealer right next to your house, use his services,” Mr. Jose.

Navneeth Raghavan, environment and solid waste consultant, shared the best practices for composting, while Srinivas Krishnaswamy spoke about the menace of plastics and how to reduce their everyday usage.

More than 200 residents participated in the workshop and contributed to a lively interactive session.

Paperman hotline: 8015269831. Paperman website: www.paperman.in

Pdfs of presentations made at Clean Chennai @ Home workshops in Adyar (Sep 7) and Nungambakkam (Sep 8)

Composting by Navneeth Raghavan

Garbage segregation by Navneeth Raghavan

Managing garbage effectively by Srinivas Krishnaswamy & Preethi Sukumaran

Here is a quick guide to start composting and recycling: http://thne.ws/cc-fridgesheet

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Call 1253 to take care of Destitute Women on Roads

Some in city reach out to help the destitute when most pass them by

TNN May 19, 2013, 03.54AM IST

CHENNAI: They are outside swanky malls, theatres, on railway platforms and even sometimes right outside our doorstep, but they attract a few hearts. The city has thousands of destitute and homeless people, but a few to help them.
On Saturday, a motley group of individuals gathered at the Government Kasturba Gandhi Hospital for Women and Children to get first aid training to rescue mentally challenged and homeless people. While one of the participants is a conductor with Metropolitan Transport Corporation, another is a teacher in a government-aided school. And all of them work in their individual capacity.

"I started off with getting their hair cut, nails trimmed and making them bath. As I have been doing this for years, I never felt a sense of end to what I do," said Sri Priya, a schoolteacher from Elephant Gate in north Chennai. "Though the government provides medical treatment to the homeless, we urgently need more rehabilitation centres," she said.
The group members volunteer at the 1253 call centre at the police commissioner's office in Egmore. "We get at least four calls a day about a homeless person being spotted. We immediately rush to the spot and get a memo from the local police before taking them to a rehabilitation home," said S M Venkatesh, a volunteer with the Indian Red Cross Society. The 1253 helpline has also given these volunteers a platform to meet and exchange ideas.
The state-sponsored 108 ambulance facility, run by GVK-EMRI, receives about 120 calls a month. Most of the calls inform about people found on NSC Bose Road, as it is close to the Central and Egmore railway Stations, and Madras Medical College.
"In the area, we have even found people from as far as Kolkata and Siliguri in Darjeeling district of West Bengal," said S Rani, another volunteer. In February, Rani took Aladhi, 45, who was found roaming around near Chennai Central, back to Kolkata where she came from.
The All Bengal Women's Union, an NGO, took her in their custody and promised to find Aladhi's family. "Southern Railway too helped us get berth in train. But the journey was very difficult as she ran away in Nellore. It was nightmare to get her back," she said.
Chennai's autorickshaw drivers, who are notorious for their unreasonable fares and arrogant behaviour, are often the saviors of the day. "No one is willing to transport someone who is dirty and has deep wounds. But there are many autorickshaw drivers who come forward to help," said S G Ganesan, a volunteer.
According to the latest survey by the Corporation of Chennai, the city has 2,586 homeless families with a total number of 11,116 homeless people. Of them, around 1,864 families live on streets around NSC Bose Road.