Bengaluru : ITC’s unique programme – Wealth Out of Waste (WOW) – is now extended to include rag-pickers, and municipal workers in 10 wards across Bengaluru city. These rag pickers and municipal workers will not only become brand ambassadors for the programme, but will also be the biggest beneficiaries of this programme, as this initiative also seeks to create a source of sustainable livelihoods for them. Initiated in 2007, the WOW programme is ITC’s intervention to spread awareness of the reduce-reuse-recycle approach to waste. The programme also seeks to inculcate the habit of source segregation and recycling among the general public.

As a pilot project, ITC has today associated with the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to extend the WOW programme for rag-pickers and municipal workers in 10 selected wards of Bengaluru. The programme will cover all segments like households, offices, shops, schools, other educational institutions, malls, supermarkets, banks, hotels and hospitals. The pilot programme also seeks to ensure collection of post-consumer FMCG waste, which has today become a major source of litter in the city. It is also expected that increasing the quantum of dry recyclable waste, will substantially improve the incomes of rag-pickers and municipal workers. In addition, BBMP will also support this initiative by providing Dry Waste collection Centres in each ward and ensuring that waste segregation is strictly implemented by their staff in each ward.

Present at the event, Mr M Lakshminarayana, IAS, Commissioner, Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) said, “ITC’s WOW programme is in line with our vision to make Bangalore a zero garbage city. It is imperative to educate people and inculcate the habit of segregation of waste at source. We are happy to be associated with this responsible corporate and appreciate their efforts in bringing in such a novel programme to our city.”

As part of the programme, ITC will provide necessary training to the rag-pickers and municipal workers on source segregation of dry waste and sorting into various categories like paper, plastic, glass and metal for recycling. They will implement the programme across the selected wards by providing durable HDPE bags to each household, shop, office and other collection centres. The rag-pickers and municipal workers will be compensated for the quantity of recyclables they bring at market prices. It is expected that their incomes should go up by at least Rs.3,000/- per month, which will substantially improve their living conditions and their socio-economic status.

Speaking at the event, Mr. Chitranjan Dar, Divisional Chief Executive, Foods Division, ITC Limited, said, “ITC’s WOW programme has been successful in bringing to fore the importance of source segregation and recycling. The programme’s acceptance and support of various Southern states have positively motivated us at ITC to keep the momentum alive to make our Earth a better and greener place to live in.”

ITC’s ‘Wealth out of Waste’ programme creates awareness among general public about the “Reduce-Reuse-Recycle” approach and to inculcate the habit of source segregation. In line with ITC’s commitment to sustainable natural resource management, the WOW programme seeks to protect the environment, reduce the impact of global warming, improve green cover, reduce landfills, improve ground water quality, improve general health and hygiene, reduce garbage handling costs, improve civic amenities and also to provide cost competitive raw material to paper, plastics, metal and glass industries.

The pilot programme to include BBMP workers and rag-pickers was kick started on 20th June, 2013 with environmental quiz programmes, painting competitions, recyclables collection campaigns, road shows and slogan contests covering the entire city of Benguluru. These efforts have gone a long way to create large-scale awareness towards making the city clean and green.

In addition, the third anniversary of the National Recycling Day will be celebrated on July 1, 2013 at National College Grounds, Basavanagudi, Bengaluru. Pioneered by ITC in 2010, the National Recycling Day is a one-of-its-kind initiative in the world, and has today gained widespread support and recognition across various sections of society. The National Reycling Day celebrations will be graced by the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Karnataka, Shri K Siddaramaiah as well as other dignitaries.

Source : Murali R