Waste Segregation for Dummies is an excellent guide to people and communities getting started in waste management. It provides a overview of various types of waste and how to manage them. This presentation has been created by Mr. Vijay Krishnan of Ragpicker.in and the same has been presented in "Waste Management for Apartments" awareness sessions organized by ApnaComplex.com

1. Waste Segregation for Dummies
Welcome to the world of Segregated Waste

2. Contents
- why segregate
- waste categories
- where to start
- do’s & don’ts

3. Pic courtesy: epaper.timesofindia.com
What do you change?
From this…
Waste dump in your neighborhood Garbage dumped off Hosur Road , Bangalore
300 cows die every year in Bangalore alone eating plastic laden waste A typical unscientific landfill around here…

4. What is in it for You!
For Individual homes
• Better management of household waste
• Eco-friendly image generates respect among peers
• Practical education of children on topics such as materials, recycling, decomposition
• Greater participation in RWA affairs
For RWA/Community
• Eco-friendly image of RWA/Community generates respect among peers
• Reduced expense for disposal of solid waste
• Income generation through sale of recyclables
• Greater residents participation in RWA affairs
For Community & Society
• Better management of household waste
• Increased recycling of plastics, paper etc
• Hazardous waste kept out of landfill
• Employment generation in recycling industry
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5. What do you change?
…to This
wet waste composting sanitary waste incineration
dry waste recycling hazardous & e-waste recycling/safe disposal

6. Waste Categories
Wet Waste Sanitary Waste
Debris/Inert
Dry Waste
Hazardous/ e-waste

7. Waste Categories

8. Where to start?
establish collection at home
Wet Waste Sanitary Waste Dry waste Hazardous/ e-waste Debris/Inert
Collect in a pedal bin lined Collect in newspaper bag Collect in a bag in the Collect small items Collect in a bin in
with newspapers. DO NOT kept in bathroom kitchen/utility in a cover the utility
USE PLASTIC BAGS.
DAILY DAILY WEEKLY QUARTERLY PERIODIC
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9. What is Wet Waste?
 Vegetable/Fruit waste
 Food waste except very oily waste
 Tea leaves/Coffee powder
 Garden trimmings/leaves
 Flowers
 Pencil shavings
 Match Sticks
 Shredded Newspaper
 Soiled Tissue Paper
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10. What is NOT Wet Waste
x Soiled food covers
x Sanitary Waste such as napkins and diapers
x Cigarette butts
x Watery stuff (drain away the liquid from sambhar/curry before disposing it for composting)
x Bits of plastic (cut pieces from your milk covers can harm biogas/composting process)
x Dead animals (rats, cockroaches etc.)
x Weeds and diseased plants from the garden
Watery Sambhar Coconut Shells
/Rasam/Curries. Drain (collect separately . Can be
liquid before disposal Take-way container used as fuel)
with yoghurt
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11. Wet Waste Collection
Collection: Covered bin in Kitchen lined with newspaper. Tear newspaper lengthwise to get 2 long
pieces. Place them into the bin to cover the bin inner surface. NO PLASTIC BAGS!
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12. Wet Waste Do’s
1
Leftover Sambhar? Strain using a steel strainer to
Dispose food contents into
drain the liquid into the sink
Wet Waste bin
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13. Home Composting Options
Daily Dump: Leave-it-Pots or Khamba Bokashi Composting
http://www.dailydump.org/products/leave-it-pots
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14. What is Sanitary Waste?
 Diapers
 Sanitary Napkins
 Condoms
 Syringes
 Shaving Blades
 Ear Buds
 Old Tablets
 Bandages/Plasters
 Fingernails
 Hair/Animal Hair
 Scrap cloth
 Animal bones (large)
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15. Sanitary Waste Do’s
 Collect in a newspaper cone or bag
 Wash out poop from diapers into the toilet
before disposing baby diapers
 Reusable cloth diapers for your baby at least at home
Reusable diapers guide: http://www.realdiaperassociation.org/guide/
http://www.realdiaperassociation.org/wash/index.php
Did you know: Disposable diapers take 500 long years to decompose
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16. What is Dry Waste?
Plastics Paper Metal, Glass & Others
 Plastic bags  Tickets  Aerosol cans
 Plastic bottles  Bills & statements*  Aluminum cans/foil
 Plastic packaging  Envelopes & Covers  Metal bottle caps
 Broken toys  Notices  Glass bottles & Jars
 Bubble wrap  Pamphlets  Incandescent Bulbs,
 Take-away containers*  Paper wrappers  Tetrapack
 Food packets*  Computer Printouts  Thermocole/Styrofoam
 Pickle packs*  Paper plates
 Milk Sachets* Papers that are oily and soiled tissue
WARNING: Do not crush aerosol cans
papers should be discarded with debris Rinse and dry glass bottles before disposal
* Food packets, pickle packs and take-away waste
food containers have to be thoroughly
Dispose broken glass/ceramic with debris waste
rinsed and dried before disposal * Tear any confidential papers such as bank after placing in a thick plastic/paper bag
statements/notices before disposal.
* Food covers that are too oily should be
discarded with debris waste Newspapers can be collected on a monthly
basis and donated to NGOs who make bags
for sanitary waste. 16

17. What is NOT Dry Waste
x Wet waste (yuck! ruins the waste carefully segregated by others)
x Sweeping dust, wood waste etc. (dispose with debris waste or with wet waste)
x Human/Animal hair (it’s of course dry but sadly not recyclable, dispose with sanitary waste)
x Soiled food covers/containers (rinse and dry them before disposing with dry waste)
x Sanitary Waste such as napkins and diapers (dispose used/unused diapers etc. with sanitary waste)
x Cigarette butts
Do not dispose take away
containers with food. Do not dispose Human or pet- Do not dispose ear buds,
Dispose food in Wet Waste bin, rinse and
hair with dry waste. Dispose waxing strips etc with Dry
dry the container/cover and before
disposing with dry waste these in Sanitary Waste Waste. These should go with
Sanitary Waste.
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18. Dry Waste Do’s
1
Food in a cover? Rinse cover if food contents were wet. Dry at
kitchen sink before disposing in your Dry
Dispose food contents
Waste bag
into Wet Waste bin
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19. Dry Waste Do’s
2 3
Squeeze your toothpaste
facewash etc to the last before
disposal. Use an old
toothbrush for this …saves at
least a week’s worth of stuff Empty and rinse out
remnants in shampoo
or moisturizer bottles.
4
5
Open up and crush/fold paper
cartons before disposal. Dilute soap and hand
Saves a load of space wash concentrates with
up to 2/3rds water. It’ll
still be effective
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20. Dry Waste Collection
Collection: Collect Dry Waste Collection: Fix a bin on the Collection: Rinse and dry milk
in bag* hung in your kitchen or cupboard door of your sink. Use covers. Collect in a box to
utility area. this to collect your Dry Waste dispose monthly to your local
scrap dealer
* Do not use thin polythene bags to store Dry Waste at your home
Plastic woven bags or cloth bags are sturdy and reusable
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21. Dry Waste Sorting@ Home
Once a week sort dry waste collected in your bag into
Plastic, Paper, Metal & Others. Dispose to common dry
waste collection
Best Practice: RWA to provide residents
with woven plastic bags labeled with house
no and sorting categories as per
requirement .
Please check with your Dry Waste collector
on categories of sorting required.
Apartments having adequate space and
labor can have a post collection sorting
established. 21

22. What is Haz/E-Waste?
 Paints
 Automobile Lubricants
 Dry Cells (Batteries)
 Car /2-wheeler batteries
 Fluorescent Lamps
 Mobile
 Chargers
 Computer peripherals
 CDs
 …anything with a plug
Hazardous Waste E-Waste
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23. Haz/E-Waste Do’s
 Collect small items such as batteries in a cover
 Do no break CFL’s and Tube lights (Fluorescent lamps)
 Maintenance personnel should use industrial grade gloves while
handling haz/e-waste
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24. What is Debris Waste?
 Sweeping Dust
 Oily Plastic/paper
 Soiled Scrap Cloth
 Rubber waste (slippers)
 Gilt Paper/Gift Wrapping
 Foil covers (lays/kurkure packs)
 Construction debris
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25. Recyclanthem
Cans and bottles, don’t throw it away,
Paper, plastic don’t throw it away,
Recycle and Recycle,
Let’s all try and recycle.
We’re on a mission to save the world,
Doesn’t matter if you’re a boy or a girl,
Don’t put it off and don’t hesitate,
Because tomorrow …. may be too late.
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26. Happy Segregation,
Composting
and Recycling!
vijay.krishnan@ragpicker.in
http://www.slideshare.net/ragpickerify
http://www.youtube.com/user/ragpickerify
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