What is ZWM?
Over the last few decades, the dumping and burning of garbage generated in cities, towns and villages in wetlands and waterbodies, have resulted in serious air, soil and water pollution. ZWM is a new system of managing solid waste, which strives for maximum waste recovery through recycling and reuse, aiming at ‘zero’ waste to be disposed onto dump yards and landfills.

What are the advantages of ZWM?
All over the world, ZWM has been accepted (and is being practised) as the best solution to the problem of waste, for the following reasons. Waste is segregated and resources are recovered through composting of organic waste and recycling of inorganic waste. Compost generated through ZWM is used to promote organic farming, bringing down the use of chemicals in agriculture. ZWM helps reduce the rate of virgin raw material extraction and resource depletion. ZWM minimises waste disposal at dumpsites and reduces pollution of air, ground water and soil that result from dumping. ZWM provides income generation opportunities for the poor.

How is ZWM done in Vellore?
ZWM is carried out through women and men self-help groups (SHGs), after sufficient training. One supervisor, three workers and one tricycle are employed for every 270-280 families. Segregated waste (into organic and inorganic) is collected in a compartmentalized tricycle cart. The collected waste is transported to the ‘Zero Waste Centre’ of that municipality ward / village panchayat. All the clean vegetable, food and farm waste, and the liquid waste from kitchens are fed to the cattle in the centre. The cattle dung is collected in a biogas plant, the slurry from which is used as bacterial innoculum for aerobic composting of the organic waste. The compost is then subject to vermicomposting. The recyclable waste is further segregated into glass, paper, plastic, metals, etc. The vermicompost and the recyclables are sold locally, the income from which sustains the entire project. ZWM also supports several income-generation activities like vermiculture, nursery development, kitchen garden, fodder cultivation, and making useful products from cattle dung.

EGC avoids using machinery (motorized vehicles and other equipment) in ZWM processes. This generates employment, saves fuel and hence costs, and protects the environment from pollution. EGC also tries to use renewable sources of energy, local and natural (biodegradable) materials wherever possible.

Where has ZWM been done in Vellore?
EGC has successfully demonstrated ZWM in the following areas.

	Town Panchayat (Gandhi Nagar)
	Village Panchayat (Palavanchathu)
	Fish Market (Vellore Town)
	Educational Institution – University (VIT),
	Educational Institution - Schools
	Temple (Malaikodi)

What has EGC achieved through ZWM in Vellore?
More than 200 jobs have been generated. Air, soil and water pollution have been reduced. Projects have created several lakhs of rupees savings for the government.
Scientific waste management has become a respectable job in Vellore. In all, some 4,000 MT of compost has been generated and used in various farms and forest lands.

Photos:

7 acre sadupperi dumping ground in vellore municipality		Waste dumping in palar river at vellore
Awareness Meeting		People's Participation
Red and Green Dustbins given to Residents		Door to Door Collection of Segregated Waste
Using cattle dung slurry as bacterial innoculun Compost Organic Waste		Sieving of Compost
Overflowing road side dustbin		Clean street