Davanagere: Tackling garbage crisis through education

Davanagere: Garbage management has emerged as a significant challenge for the Davanagere City Corporation. In an effort to address this issue, the municipal authorities have dis-covered a viable solution.

With the support of the central government’s Swachh Bharat Mission, a new “Clean Home Learning Centre” has been established in the city’s J.H. Patel Layout park. The centre has been built on a one-acre plot within a total area of five acres, with an in-vestment of ₹1.06 crore.

This Clean Home Learning Centre is the third of its kind in the state, following the es-tablishment of the first centre in Bangalore’s HSR Layout and the second in Telanga-na. Currently, Davanagere collects approximately 170 tons of waste across its 42 wards.

Instead of merely disposing of waste, the centre has initiated a program to train the community in converting organic waste into biofuel and compost. Machines have been installed to facilitate the conversion of waste generated from homes, hotels, and apartments into compost. The facility also includes units for producing organic ma-nure, dried leaf compost, and biofuel, along with rainwater harvesting and solar pow-er systems.

The Clean Home Learning Centre aims to provide training on scientifically managing both wet and dry waste at its source. Workshops will educate children, the general public, and organizations on transforming waste into compost and biofuel. An envi-ronmentally friendly auditorium has been constructed within the centre for training sessions. Participants will have the opportunity to choose appropriate equipment for their homes, with information about suppliers also available.

“The awareness initiatives include starting a clean learning module within the juris-diction of the Davanagere Municipal Corporation. Demonstrations will showcase how to convert various types of waste into compost. This functions as a training program. Apart from the one in Bangalore’s HSR Layout, this is the first of its kind in Davanag-ere, where waste can be transformed into biofuel and compost. The facility is set to be inaugurated in January,” informed Jagadeesh, the environmental technical assis-tant of the Corporation.

“This biofuel can be utilized for vehicles and waste collection trucks. We plan to or-ganize educational visits for school children to this centre, promoting awareness at the school and college level,” added Renuka, the municipal commissioner.

Speaking to The Hans India officials stated, “A Clean Learning Centre has been con-structed in the JH Layout of the municipal corporation area. This centre has been set up with funding from the central government. Following this, Davanagere is ready for the establishment of a second centre in the state. Training will be provided to school children, the public, and organizations on how to separate wet and dry waste, utilize bio-gas, create green manure for plants, and effectively manage plastic waste disposal.

By putting waste into a machine for processing, gas can be produced that can be used for vehicles and cooking gas as well. The inauguration will be conducted by MP Dr Prabha Mallikarjun.