City folks may now donate their discarded household items at the nearest among 35 designated reduce, reuse and recycle (Three RRR) centres set up for the purpose by Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh.
“Only quality and reusable items will be accepted for donation under the well-meaning initiative. The articles to be accepted for donation include clothes, shoes, books/stationery items, crockery, toys, e-waste, wooden items/furniture, etc. Worn-out and perishable items will not be accepted,” said Mayor Anup Gupta while speaking with CityWoofer.
The unique and one-of-its-kind flagship initiatives of the Chandigarh MC will enable city residents to donate their recyclable household articles at the designated centres set up for the purpose. 35 RRR centres will be set up across the city. The civic body would take the onus of cleaning, refurbishing and upgrading the articles to be put up for sale at a designated flea market.
Donated articles will be collected from 3R centres by the customised MC’s Swachh Sawari-RRR on wheels, which will transport them to MC stores for refurbishment and sale and so on and so forth.
The exercise will continue till June 5 in all 35 wards of the city as a part of World Environment Day (June 5) under the mega campaign ‘Meri Life Mera Swachh Shehar’.
City Mayor Anup Gupta and MC Commissioner Anindita Mitra, flagged off the campaign from community centre, Sector 21 (RRR centre for ward number 11) in the presence of representatives of Residents’ Welfare Associations (RWAs).
The restored items would be sold to the needy at nominal rates, to ensure that no household items in good and reusable condition goes waste. The innovative idea behind this initiative is to ensure that household articles in a usable condition are not consigned to the waste bin, rather be put to reuse for those who need them the most.
MC Commissioner Anindita Mitra said, “We will sell donated articles to the needy at nominal rates. They tend to feel good when they purchase things instead of getting them for charity”.
The mayor said a plan is already in place to set up the reduce, reuse and recycle (3R) centres and their smooth running at various community centres/sehaj safai kendras/charitable institutions/gurdwaras/ temples/mosques or shops of market welfare associations (MWAs).
“To leapfrog the first hurdle to set up the 3R centres, old racks, wooden tables, chairs, etc. would be sourced from the enforcement store facilitating smooth collection of the household items,” he added.
A special awareness drive will be carried out in each ward to convey to both, the donors and beneficiaries, at large about the location and timings. Pamphlets of listed items that can be donated at the 3R centres will be disbursed to clear any confusion.
Self-help groups (SHGs) or sanitation workers would look after the day-to-day operations and manage these centres. The SHGs would be involved in the refurbishment/up-cycling of donated items and their sale through the designated flea markets.
The proceeds will go towards raising awareness on ‘swachhata’ among the public. The reuse and up-scaling of common household goods, which had been an integral part of Indian cultural ethos, will give a perceptible push to the overall zero-waste eco-system under ‘Swachh Bharat Mission–Urban 2.0’.
Similar drive in Mohali as well
Mohali Municipal Corporation officials donated old clothes and books at the reduce, reuse, recycle (RRR) centre at Nature Park, Phase 8. The RRR centres in the city have been opened under the Meri Life, Mera Swachh Shehar campaign by the MC.
(The writer, Ramesh K Dhiman, is a former staffer of The Tribune and freelancer. He has written extensively for leading newspapers and magazines on art, culture, mythology, besides travelogues.)
Very good initiative…