Garbage Garbage Everywhere FAQs

FAQs on Waste Segregation

1. What do you mean by waste segregation?

Waste segregation basically means keeping wet and dry wastes separately, so that dry can be recycled and wet waste can be composted .

2. Why should I do it?

So that it reduces waste that gets landfilled and reduces pollution to air and water
So that different processes- composting, recycling, incineration can be applied to different kinds of waste.

3. How do I practice waste management at home?
1. a. Four bin system: Wet, Recyclable, Sanitary, Everything else for landfill
2. b. Separately collect your Bio, E-Waste and other Hazardous waste like Paints or Bulbs for special pickup later.

Keep glass /plastic containers and all dry waste rinsed of food matter

Keep a paper bag for throwing the sanitary waste

What is the first few steps to initiating waste management in the apartment complex?

Download our Standards for Communities
Write to youthforseva and get a chart to put up in your common area.
Form a group of like minded people and work with the MC
Explain waste segregation to your family / neighbours in your apartment building.
Get the staff in the apartment building to also understand
Establish a process for Wet, Dry, Sanitary, E-waste, Medical Wastes.

What is Dry Waste?

Paper, plastics, metal, glass, rubber, thermocol, Styrofoam, fabric, leather, rexine, wood – anything that can be kept for an extended period without decomposing.

Will Dry waste smell if I store it for a week?

Not if it is clean and dry. Make sure that plastic sachets of milk, curds, oil, idli batter, any food item, are cleaned of all their contents and dried before being put in the dry waste bag. Then they will never stink.

Will I have cockroach, rats and flies problems?

Only if any food residue or organic matter is present in the dry waste. Clean dry waste will not attract any vermin.

How do I store pizza and cake boxes?

Clean the pizza or cake boxes of all food residue – with a wet kitchen cloth, or rinse them quickly in water and let them dry out before putting them in the dry waste container.

How do I store pickle, sauce bottles?

Sauce bottles should be rinsed thoroughly with water. Pickle bottles need to be cleaned with soap and water, as they contain oil. Basically, no food residue must be left in the bottles. Clean them as you would to reuse them.

What do I do with milk packets, dosa packets, and yoghurt containers?

Clean them thoroughly. Open out the milk, yoghurt and dosa batter packets completely at one end, and wash out all the residue. They can be put to wash with the dishes in the sink, then dried, and put into the dry waste bag.

If I order take away from a local Darshini- Do I have to rinse the plastics bags/containers?

Oh yes. Any plastic containing any food has to be rinsed, or washed with soap and water if required, before being put into the dry waste bag.

Should I rinse my juice containers/ tetra packs?

Yes, otherwise ants will be attracted to the sugar in the juice.

Will my biscuit/bread packet attract ants? How do I store them?

Make sure all the bread / biscuit crumbs are shaken out of the packet, so they do not attract ants.
If the biscuits are too oily, the packet may need to be washed with soap and water.

What do I do with old clothes/ shoes/ handbags/belts/toys?

If they are still in usable condition, they can be donated (See our helpful guide on where to donate in Whitefield in the main page. If they are totally unusable, or very damaged, they are still categorized as dry waste.
If clothes are soiled with body fluids, they become sanitary waste.
If they are soiled with paint, or any chemicals, they are HHW (household hazardous waste).

What do I do with old bed linen/ mattress/ pillows etc?

Same as above

What do I do with my old furniture/ broken glass table?

Old furniture can be recycled and donated, if not, along with broken glass it can disposed of as debris or rubbish (inerts).

What do I do with old crockery / non-stick pans etc?

If they are not broken, they are recyclable dry waste. If broken, debris or rubbish (inerts).

What do I do with my old taps/ broken sanitary ware?

Old taps – recyclable dry waste. Broken sanitary ware – debris or rubbish (inerts).

What do I do with my old brooms/ floor cleaning cloths/ Dry mops/ bathroom cleaning brush?

Bathroom cleaning brush is sanitary waste.

What is the best method of storing Dry Waste?

Store it in a bag in the utility area after cleaning and drying till it is picked up.

What is e-waste?

E-waste or electronic waste consists of batteries, computer parts, wires, electrical equipment of any kind, electrical and electronic toys, remotes, watches, cellphones, as well as bulbs, tubelights and CFLs.

How do I store E-Waste?

Store them in separate container which is kept closed, away from moisture and in which nothing else is put.

What is wet waste?

Wet waste consists of kitchen waste – including vegetable and fruit peels and pieces, tea leaves, coffee grounds, eggshells, bones and entrails, fish scales, as well as cooked food (both veg and non-veg).

Can I compost at home?

Of course. Home composting can be easily done in Daily Dump’s pot system, or in any aerated container.

I don’t have time to compost at home, what are my alternatives?

If you live in a large apartment building, a community composting system like tank composting or an OWC could be set up for all the wet waste from the residents. If not, the wet waste can be given out every day to the BBMP.

If I don’t use a plastic liner, how do I dispose my food waste in the bin?

Before the advent of the bin liner, we would all put our garbage directly in the bin, and wash it everyday. That is what we will have to do now. The bin can be lined with a newspaper liner or a layer of sawdust if you don’t want to put the wet waste directly into it.

What is biomedical waste?

This includes used menstrual cloths, sanitary napkins, disposable diapers, bandages and any material that is contaminated with blood or other body fluids.

How do I dispose sanitary pads and diapers?

They should be wrapped in a newspaper, marked with a red cross, and given everyday to the BBMP.

How do I dispose expired medicines/ injections/condoms/soiled cotton?

Expired medicines and injections, used syringes come under HHW or household hazardous wastes. They should be stored separate from other categories of waste and given to the BBMP once every quarter.

Condoms, soiled cotton, etc come under sanitary waste – they should be wrapped in a newspaper, marked with a red cross, and given everyday to the BBMP.

Is my razor considered as biomedical waste?

It is HHW or household hazardous waste, like used syringes, etc. It should be stored separate from other categories of waste and given to the BBMP.

What do I do with waxing strips?

Used waxing strips are sanitary waste – they should be wrapped in a newspaper, marked with a red cross, and given everyday to the BBMP.

What are hazardous wastes?

HHW or household hazardous wastes include three sub-categories – E-waste; toxic substances such as paints, cleaning agents, solvents, insecticides and their containers, other chemicals; and biomedical wastes like used syringes, expired medicines, thermometers, used cosmetics etc..

I have just painted my room. How do I dispose half used paint cans?

They come under HHW or household hazardous wastes. They should be stored separate from other categories of waste and given to the BBMP once every quarter.

Under what category do I place cosmetics?

They come under HHW or household hazardous wastes. They should be stored separate from other categories of waste and given to the BBMP once every quarter.

What about pesticides, cleaning solutions, mosquito repellants?

Same as above.

What do I do with my tube lights and other bulbs?

Same as above

How do I dispose dog poop? In case of loose motions, what is the best way to dispose it?

Sanitary waste. Wrap in a newspaper, mark with a red cross, and give everyday to the BBMP. In case the dog or cat has loose motions, do the same with the cloth used to mop up the liquid poop.