Press release - June 21, 2017
Creation of compost through waste could prove vital link between urban and rural India.
New Delhi, 5th June 2017: On World Environment Day, Greenpeace India welcomed the waste segregation initiatives announced by Prime Minister Modi’s administration. (Footnote 1)
Improved waste management and the resultant creation of nutrient-rich compost could be the vital missing link between the PM’s Swachh Bharat campaign and the urgent need to back the ecological agriculture revolution in India.
“An effective waste management programme can create a supply chain for good quality compost that enriches the soil with organic nutrients. This will reduce dependency on chemical inputs and significantly improve the quality of the soil in our fields,” said Shivani Shah, Food for Life Campaigner with Greenpeace India, “Decentralised infrastructure is key to the success of this programme: Local municipalities and panchayats should be supported and held accountable for the quality of the segregation, and for adequate follow through. Corporates and other organisations, particularly those that generate large quantities of waste in a relatively small area, can take on the responsibility for segregating, sorting and distribution of their own waste so that it gets reused and recycled appropriately.”
It is also crucial that only quality compost reaches the fields. The government should set up quality checks and measures to ensure that there is no dumping on the field.
“Through our Living Soils project in Kedia, we have already seen the tremendous benefits of adopting ecological agricultural practices: the entire ecosystem in the fields flourishes as the health of the soil improves, while farmers’ families are saved from both, the staggering costs and the toxic exposure of chemical inputs. For consumers too, a shift to chemical-free agriculture will ensure that the food we eat is safe from agro-chemicals,” concluded Shah. (Footnote 2)
Note: http://pib.gov.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=163385
Notes to Editors:
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PM Modi announced the introduction of color-coded dust bins in 4,000 cities, towns and villages across the country to enable segregation of waste. “Two types of waste bins will be available in green and blue colour, for liquid and dry waste. If we follow discipline, then the waste bins will collect dry garbage in blue waste bins and liquid garbage in green waste bins,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Mann Ki Baat. He has also tweeted: “#WorldEnviromentDay is the right time to reaffirm our commitment to protecting our environment and nurturing a better planet.” The Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu kicked off the drive in the National Capital Region today. For more: http://pib.gov.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=163385
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Greenpeace is working in Kedia, a village in Bihar, in promoting natural farming. Farmers are encouraged to use vermicompost - and the results are already beginning to show.
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Greenpeace marked World Environment Day by launching SolarShakti - a people-powered campaign for Decentralised Renewable Energy. Please click here to read more about our campaign, or contact our Communications team for the related press release.
Contact information
Shivani Shah,
Senior Campaigner Food For Life, Greenpeace India
Phone: +919686478775
Email: 
Karthikeyan Hemalatha
Communications Campaigner, Greenpeace India
Phone: +919176197527
Email: 