New Delhi: After reviewing the successful ‘zero-waste colony’ model at Navjeevan Vihar in south Delhi, lieutenant governor TS Sandhu Tuesday directed officials to replicate its community-led sustainability initiatives across the city .During his visit, LG inspected the colony’s Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (RRR) Centre, decentralised composting units, source-segregation system and rainwater harvesting infrastructure. Praising the initiative as one of Delhi’s best environmental practices, he asked Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to encourage residents welfare associations (RWAs) to adopt similar self-sustaining models.The colony has been running the initiative for nearly eight years and has diverted more than 10 lakh kilogramme of waste from landfills through waste segregation, composting and recycling efforts.Emphasising a strong behavioural shift that was required in the city, LG said govt agencies couldn’t achieve sustainable waste management without active public contribution and a deep sense of ownership among citizens.To expand the model, Sandhu directed MCD to explore dedicated funding mechanisms for decentralised waste management projects in less affluent colonies and utilise corporate social responsibility funds to create infrastructure such as aerobins and RRR centres.The RRR centre at Navjeevan Vihar, developed by repurposing old dhalaos, collects reusable items, including books, toys, clothes and e-waste from residents and neighbouring colonies through an ‘RRR on Wheels’ mobile service. Further, the zero-smell aero compost bins installed in the colony process about 125kg wet waste daily. The compost nourishes three colony gardens, while leachate from the bins acts as a natural fertiliser.Appreciating RWAs’ efforts and noting that the journey from waste to wealth begins at home, LG remarked that there was no need to look at other cities or nations for solutions when such best practices were emerging from our own people. He urged RWAs across Delhi to prioritise source segregation at the household level.Reaffirming govt support, LG said community-driven initiatives such as Navjeevan Vihar demonstrated that effective solutions to Delhi’s waste challenges could emerge from local residents themselves and deserved full institutional backing.
