Cleanliness Solutions for Tier 3/4 cities - Inputs Needed

KEEP INDIA BEAUTIFUL TIPS FOR RUNNING A LOCAL COMMUNITY CLEAN UP PREPARATION Appoint a coordinator If running a group litter collection at school, your business or in the local community, you will need to have a coordinator who is responsible for the planning and management of the event. They will also be the main contact for any issues that may arise during the day. Venue Survey With 2 or 3 people visit the site and walk the area making notes of various significant points: Entrances and exits, traffic, parking, how people will arrive and depart, areas where collected rubbish can be held, areas of danger or concern, the expected volume of rubbish that maybe collected, the best time for undertaking the cleanup, the number of people that would be required, what facilities are available to utilise, where to position the help and registration and information desk, where to position the refreshments, where to position the medical post, what toilet facilities are available, what businesses are near by, what schools are near by, where the president of local housing society living. Identify the style of cleanup, team structured or casual free flowing. Schedule for the event Check to see that the proposed date and times does not clash with any other event at the site or near by. Permissions: Contact your Local Council If the clean up is being held outside your school, home or workplace, make sure that you contact your local council to advise them of your plans, gain their support and find out how they may assist in the collection of rubbish and recyclables. Contact the Archaeological Society of India If the clean up is in a monuement, contact the ASI in your area. Contact the Police With any event it is important to discuss it with the police to ensure that it all goes smoothly. Contact the Traffic Police The assistance of the Traffic Police may be of assistance where large numbers of people may be arriving and departing. Medical Arrange for a medical team with supplies to be present and ambulance if the event is large. Manpower What numbers of support people are required to assist with the arrival and departure of the volunteers, media, officials and the programmed volunteer assistance? How many people are required to man the support desk? How many people are required to man the refreshment stand? Waste collection and disposal How many rubbish bags are required, how many rubber gloves are required? How will the rubbish be stored and correctly removed from the venue? Transport How do volunteers arrive and depart? Car pooling, mini bus, local bus, Metro Help Desk The help desk will be required to be manned at all times, to provide volunteer registration, assistance to walk-ins and non-members, VIP’s officials and media. The help desk needs to provide printed information on the organisation undertaking the project and contact details. Meeting and greeting volunteers and on lookers is very important for public relations, a welcome and a greeting travels a long distance within networks and initiates further interest in your projects. Get the message out Give advance warning of the date and the time of the event to participants and promote it where you can with posters, on community, school or church notice boards, newsletters and mobile sms. Set up sign up desks near the venue for volunteers to register in the weeks prior to the event. Let your local radio, TV and newspapers know about your plans. Ask if they can help promote the event and invite your local newspaper along on the day to take photos. See publicity section for more information on contacting the media. Photography Ensure that the event is recorded with quality photographs, video and interviews. Remember to take “before” and “after” photos of the site to demonstrate the results of your activity, action photos taken of participants on the day can be sent to your local newspaper after the event. Merchandise Having ‘T’ Shirts and hats for volunteers to wear has an excellent impact both visually during the event but long term when the volunteers advertise your organisation in public and with friends. Thank Volunteers Thank volunteers with langar or refreshments provided at the end of the event. Closing Ceremony Ensure that a formal closure is arranged and depending on the size of the group support, facilities and event, true appreciation is shown to all. Arrange for speakers and microphone, music/enertaninment as appropriate. Invitations to important people, sponsors and facilitators. EQUIPMENT Ensure that all volunteers wear heavy duty rubber gloves or, ideally, protective gardening gloves for their litter collection. • A pair of tongs is also useful for picking up litter and a must for sharp/dangerous items (ie: syringes. • Any sharp or dangerous items (ie: syringes) should only be picked up by the coordinator using an appropriate sharps disposal container. See Health & Safety section. • If possible, use a separate garbage bag for litter and recyclables. • If you do not have recycling facilities on site, check with your local council about appropriate disposal. • Your school or workplace may also consider hiring a skip or recycling bins if large amounts of rubbish and recyclables are anticipated. • Taking along extra bags, buckets, sunscreen and water for volunteers, hand washing facilities or antiseptic hand wipes/creams, a first aid kit and mobile phone for emergencies and food and equipment if holding langar afterwards. Note: You may like to approach local businesses for their support in providing some of these materials or food for the langar as a donation to the event. Don’t forget to advise volunteers in advance to dress for the occasion: enclosed comfortable footwear; sun-protective clothing, hat and sunglasses; raincoat. HEALTH & SAFETY Your clean up day should be fun and rewarding. To avoid any hidden dangers once you have chosen your litter collection area, check that the area is safe and secure. Also advise your local council of your location and seek permission if necessary. • Make sure volunteer have hats, sunscreen and drinking water with them. You may want to ensure you have some sunscreen and water on hand for those that have forgotten. • Warn volunteers of any rough slippery, steep, dangerous, or sloping grounds to avoid. Do the same with any holes or overhanging branches and building materials that may look dangerous. • If it is likely that there may be dogs, monkeys, snakes, spiders, bees, wasps, ticks, or ants around, please ensure you have a first aid contingency plan in place. All volunteers must wear gloves and be mindful of their environment. • Any sharp or dangerous items (ie: syringes) should only be picked up by the coordinator. Tongs and heavy duty gloves must be worn and they should be disposed of in an appropriate sharps disposal bin or container. Please contact your local council or health services, teacher or workplace OHS officer first for advice on how to handle/dispose of contaminated items and syringes. • If vehicles are passing in close proximity warn volunteers to avoid working too close to the road or boundaries. Display any warning signs or placards – or check with your local council whether they are able to provide any assistance. PUBLICITY Your participation in a local tidy up day, particularly during the annual 3rd weekend of September to coincide with Clean up the World weekend campaign, can provide great local stories for your local media. Let your local media know what you are doing and you may attract publicity, get recognition for your efforts and encourage others to do the right thing with litter and Keep India beautiful. Targeting the Media To get editorial coverage or a mention on local radio, contact the editor or producer of your local radio station. There are no guarantees that your story will be covered, but by finding an interesting angle to your story or a catchy introduction, you have a better chance. Put together some information in the form of a media release or even a simple email to advise of your participation. Information to include: Who is taking part in the event; When it is taking place –held beginning at the 3rd weekend of September to coincide with Clean up the World weekend. Where you are cleaning up; Why you chose that particular location What is interesting or unique about your event; How you are going to do your tidy up and how others can get involved. Taking the photos yourself If the media cannot attend and you have a photographer in your group, take some photos anyway. Make sure you keep the number of people in the photo to a minimum, perhaps three or four at the most and make sure the photos are clear, close-up shots; avoid ‘police line-ups’ and photos where people are just tiny specs on the horizon. Offer the photos to the paper – they may get printed! You may also like to send your copies and location details to Keep India Beautiful at admin@kib.org.in (remember to send no more than 4MB at a time) for inclusion on the website. LITTER DISPOSAL AND RECYCLING GUIDE The following items can be disposed or recycled through your local council or recycling centre: Steel and aluminium cans Aerosol cans – check as some councils do not take Cartons – milk and juice Paper / cardboard / magazines Glass – bottles and jars Plastic containers – Symbols 1 & 2. Check with your local council regarding symbols 3, 4 and 5. Symbols 6 & 7 are generally not accepted. Car batteries – check first with your local council The following items may be recycled by specific retailers: Tyres – local council or specific tyre recyclers Mobile phones & accessories – Plastic bags via – Local charities may accept the following items that are in good condition: Clothing Appliances Furniture Other household goods For hazardous or dangerous items (e.g. asbestos/weapons) please contact your local council or police. DO NOT handle anything that you are unsure of and report any suspicious items to the police. more  

When the children see grown up men urinating anywhere and everywhere, won't they also follow the same? It's time men also learn to hold on like women do. It's high time govt. builds some good rest rooms like we have abroad. We have enough manpower, employ somebody to keep it clean. Charge the people some nominal amt to use it. Our whole country has become a public urinal, which is shameful. In spite of the ban on plastic, plastic bags are used by the vendors and the buyers. I always carry a folding cloth bag in my handbag. When I refuse to take plastic bag, vendors are surprised and say, why? people ask for two-two bags! I tell them, I don't use plastic bags because I want to keep my city clean. Even then the person next to me keeps on taking each vegetable in a different plastic bag. How can you educate such people? more  

The desire to keep clean is linked to sense of ownership and belonging. The process must be from within the house to the lobby just outside. Then the surrounding areas within the compound of the building. First that has to be achieved. In every building the area below the line of kitchens are strewn with waste chucked out from the kitchen windows above. Once that is achieved, then we go to the pavement opposite the building. I belueve this alone will take time but at least there will be logical participation because of cognitive support. If what is mentioned above is achieved there is not much left to clean the city. Our failing is always government grand plans based on top down solution design. Cleanliness programs have to be very local and areas around us within 500 yards must be the first and second target. more  

This is really an exhaustive list of root causes. It is not that people are not aware of keeping it clean. Neither the people nor the authorities care that is main problem. If we want to establish a clean and neat environment as Mallika said start from our home then with locality and go broader. Lot of time I believe government has good thoughts but the way it executed leaves loop holes for people and staff to not follow the guidelines. The point I will have is if Singapore can implement cleaner city why can we not. If our government seriously wanted to change things there needs to law enforcement and punishments that force common people like us not violate them. more  

The cleanliness and knowledge in environment one has to start from home. We should teach our children to follow these. We can also encourage them to tell their friends to help the elders at home to keep our home and surroundings clean. We should strict to municipal workers in doing there duty. No compromise at all. If necessary we should contact higher authorities for the noncoopration of municipality workers more