Event Organisers are Oriented on Zero Waste Practice

Bhubaneswar: The concept of zero waste is being propagated to stop single use plastics, wastage of food and segregation at source. With a plan to sensitise event organisers Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has a dedicated team to orient event organisers. Mostly single use plastic items like disposable glass and cups, spoons are piled up in post event situations. Such waste materials need to be prohibited as per waste management rule 2016.

The city authority is conducting “Citizen Connect Programme” under Swachh Survekshan 2022. As an important component of the programme the dedicated team of BMC has targeted few event venues where the team members directly pay visit to the organisers orient them about objective of the zero waste programme.

The ULB has designed to demonstrate such practices in religious institutions and social functions like marriage, sacred thread ceremony and funeral feasts. Team BMC with its communication wing, sanitation wing is visiting different event points and sensitising the organizers beforehand. During the event sanitation workers go to the venue and orient them on segregation. On spot zero waste demonstration is being conducted and venue owners are also being oriented on the spot.

Few event venues and permission documents are selected for orientation sites. One day before the team members of selected venues are contacted by the team. The organisers are also informed to cooperate for making the event a zero waste event. During event hour sanitation team members and communication outreach staff and volunteers of BMC demonstrate start to finish zero waste programme in the venue. Total process is being documented where same is shared with event organisers to encourage their participation for such environment friendly activity.

City authority is planning to propagate the message through permission order and money receipts. Eight numbers of such programmes have been conducted in three zones. The programme is designed to appeal and sensitise citizens for their active participation in the initiative. Positive feedback of such campaign has encouraged our team says, Deputy Commissioner Sanitation, BMC.