FAQs
GENERAL INFORMATION:

1. What do you mean by waste segregation?
Waste segregation basically means keeping wet, dry and sanitary/reject wasteseparately, so that dry can be recycled, wet waste can be composted and sanitary waste can be incinerated.

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 differentkinds of waste

3. How do I practice waste management at home?
• Keep separate containers for dry, wet and reject waste in the kitchen
• Keep plastic from the kitchen clean and dry and drop into the dry waste bin.
• Keep glass/plastic containers rinsed of food matter
• Send wet and reject/Sanitary waste out of the home daily. Store and send dry waste out of the home , once a week.
• Keep a paper bag for throwing the sanitary waste

4. What colour coding do I follow?
• Green bin - Compostable waste (Do not use plastic liner)
• Blue bin/ Reusable Dry waste bag -¬ Recyclable waste
• Red bin - Reject/Sanitary waste (Do not use plastic liner)

5. How often will my waste be collected?
• Wet and Sanitary/Reject Waste – Daily (Collected by the Private Contractor/ BBMP)
• Dry Waste – Bi-weekly (Collected by your Dry Waste Collection Centre Agency)

6. What are the first few steps to initiating waste management in my layout/ apartment complex?
• Form a group of like-minded people
• Explain waste segregation to your family / neighbours in your apartment building/layout.
• Get the maids (layouts) and staff in the apartment building to also understand.
• Get in touch with your ward/block team to understand the process of collection.
• Get separate storage drums for storing the dry, wet and reject/sanitary waste.
• Have the dry waste picked up by the Dry waste collection centre or your local scrap dealer.

7. I see my neighbour not segregating. What can I do?
Please feel free to remind them gently about the SWM rules. Please let the SWM volunteer/Shuchimitra or the your Ward Health Inspector know if this is repeated.

INFORMATION ON DRY WASTE:

1. 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

2. 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 fooditem, are cleaned of all their contents and dried before being put in the dry waste bag. Then theywill never stink.

3. 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 notattract any vermin.

4. 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 quicklyin water and let them dry out before putting them in the dry waste container.

5. How do I store pickle, sauce bottles?
Sauce bottles should be rinsed thoroughly with water. Pickle bottles need to be cleaned with soapand water, as they contain oil. Basically, no food residue must be left in the bottles. Clean themas you would to reuse them.

6. 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 oneend, 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.

7. 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 ifrequired, before being put into the dry waste bag.

8. Should I rinse my juice containers/ tetra packs?
Yes, otherwise ants will be attracted to the sugar in the juice.

9. 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.

10. What do I do with old clothes/ shoes/ handbags/belts/toys?
If they are still in usable condition, they should be given to some organization that collects them. Ifthey are totally unusable, or very damaged, they are still categorized as dry waste.

11. What do I do with old bed linen/ mattress/ pillows etc?
Same as above

12. What do I do with my old furniture/ broken glass table?
Old furniture can be recycled, if not, along with broken glass it can be handed over separately to Dry Waste Collection Centres.

13. What do I do with old crockery / non-stick pans etc?
If they are not broken, they are recyclable dry waste.

14. What do I do with my old taps/ broken sanitary ware?
Old taps – recyclable dry waste. Broken sanitary ware – debris or rubbish (inerts).

15. What is the best method of storing Dry Waste?
Store it in a bag/bin in the utility area after cleaning and drying till it is picked up.

16. What is e-waste?
E-waste or electronic waste consists of batteries, computer parts, wires, electrical equipment ofany kind, electrical and electronic toys, remotes, watches, cellphones, as well as bulbs, tubelightsand CFLs. Hand over with Dry Waste.

17. How do I store E-Waste?
Store them in separate container which is kept closed, away from moisture and in which nothingelse is put. Hand over with Dry Waste

INFORMATION ON SANITARY/REJECT WASTE:

1. What is Sanitary/Reject waste?
This includes used menstrual cloths, sanitary napkins, disposable diapers, bandages and anymaterial that is contaminated with blood or other body fluids.

2. How do I dispose sanitary pads and diapers?
They should be wrapped in a newspaper, marked with a red cross, and given everyday in a red bin to theBBMP/Private Contractor.

3. How do I dispose expired medicines/ injections/condoms/soiled cotton?
Expired medicines and injections, used syringes come under HHW or household hazardouswastes. They should be stored in a red bin and handed over daily. Condoms, soiled cotton, etc come under sanitary waste – they should be wrapped in anewspaper, marked with a red cross.

4. Is my razor considered as biomedical waste?
It is HHW or household hazardous waste, like used syringes, etc.

5. What do I do with waxing strips?
Used waxing strips are sanitary waste - they should be wrapped in a newspaper, marked with ared cross, and given everyday to the BBMP.

6. What are hazardous wastes?
HHW or household hazardous wastes include–toxic substancessuch as paints, cleaning agents, solvents, insecticides and their containers, other chemicals; andbiomedical wastes like used syringes, expired medicines, thermometers, used cosmetics etc.

7. How do I dispose human hair/nails?
Sanitary waste. Wrap in a newspaper, mark with a red cross, and give everyday to the BBMP.

8. 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 and handed over separately.

9. What do I do with my old brooms/ floor cleaning cloths/ Dry mops/ bathroom cleaningbrush?
Bathroom cleaning brush is sanitary/reject waste.

10. If clothes are soiled with body fluids, they become sanitary/reject waste.
If they are soiled with paint, or any chemicals, they are HHW (household hazardous waste).

11. Under what category do I place cosmetics?
They come under HHW or household hazardous wastes. They should be stored separate fromother categories of waste and given to the BBMP along with sanitary waste.

12. What about pesticides, cleaning solutions, mosquito repellents?
Same as above.

INFORMATION ON WET WASTE:

1. 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 andnon-veg).

2. Can I compost at home?
Of course. Home composting can be easily done in Daily Dump’s pot system, or in any aeratedcontainer.

3. 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 oran OWC could be set up for all the wet waste from the residents. If not, the wet waste can begiven out every day to the BBMP.

4. 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 iteveryday. That is what we will have to do now. The bin can be lined with a newspaper liner or alayer of sawdust if you don’t want to put the wet waste directly into it.

5. How do I dispose dog poop? In case of loose motions, what is the best way to dispose it?
Wrap in a newspaper, mark with a red cross, and give everyday to the BBMP along with wet waste. Incase the dog or cat has loose motions, do the same with the cloth used to mop up the liquidpoop.

6. What do I do with garden waste?
Garden waste will be collected by the BBMP on specified days or can be dropped off at thenearest specified park for composting.