This presentation by Brigade Gateway on Waste Management was presented on "Self Sufficient Apartments - Open House" conducted by ApartmentADDA on 15th June 2013. It explains about the Problems, Economics and Initiatives taken for Waste Segregation at Source, and mass composting work done in a large 1254 Apartment Complex like Brigade Gateway in Bangalore. It was Presented by Madhu Rammoorthy, a Member of the Waste Management Team in Brigade Gateway. More on Waste Management in Large Apartment Complexes: http://apartmentadda.com/blog/blog/2013/06/17/self-sufficient-apartment-communities-an-open-house/ http://apartmentadda.com/blog/2011/02/24/waste-recycling-for-apartments-what/ http://apartmentadda.com/blog/2011/02/24/waste-recycling-for-apartments-how/ http://apartmentadda.com/blog/blog/2012/10/15/waste-management-workshop-for-apartments/

1. Waste Management at Brigade
Gateway
As presented in "Self-Sufficient Apartment Communities - An Open House".
Conducted on 15-June-2013 by The Alternative and ApartmentADDA.

2. Overview
• Brigade Gateway, located at Malleswaram West consists of
1250 apartments.
• Consists of 13 Blocks, each about 100 apartments each, and
17 floors.
• Occupied since 2010, and Occupancy level is 90%.
• Has very little open land (despite the appearance) for
exclusive use by residents for waste management.
• Brigade Enterprises Ltd provided Garbage chutes in each
block, chute rooms in the basements, and Organic Waste
Converters.
6/19/2013
Brigade Gateway Residents Welfare Association, Bangalore
2

3. Origins of Waste Management
• A dedicated group of volunteers had a vision to set up a
sustainable waste management program in 2010, much
before BBMP directives began.
• Started off with a pilot segregation at source campaign.
• Gained ground, and within a year spread this campaign to
include all residents.
• Resistance to segregation from some quarters.
6/19/2013 Brigade Gateway Residents Welfare Association, Bangalore 3

4. Segregation at Source
• Reasons for resistance
– Busy, do not have time to segregate
– Why should we do it?
– Talk to our maid, we do not touch garbage
• Reaction of residents (isolated cases)
– Dump mixed waste at lobby corners when no one is watching
– Continue mixing waste despite notices
– Resistance
• Next steps
– Groups of resident volunteers did door to door campaigns extensively.
– Defaulters were served further notice
– Finally, the last defaulters waste was not picked up as an example
6/19/2013 Brigade Gateway Residents Welfare Association, Bangalore 4

5. Composition of Solid Waste
Brigade
Gateway, %
Bangalore
(Domestic)*
Bangalore
Dumpsites**
Organic 65 65 70
Paper 14 8 11
Plastic 9 6 9
Glass 4 6 1
Metal 1 3 0
Miscellaneous 2 12 9
Biomedical 6 ? ?
* Bins (Rajabaphiah et al 1988) ** Found at Dumpsites (TIDE, 2000)
6/19/2013 Brigade Gateway Residents Welfare Association, Bangalore 5

6. Composting at Brigade Gateway
• Aerobic Composting using Organic Waste Converters (supplied
by Vennar Organics/Excel Industries)
• OWC130 with a capacity of 50 kg/batch
• Processing in garbage rooms in underground parking
• Garbage collection in plastic wheeled bins
• 14 day accelerated cycle
• Wet waste + Saw Dust + Additives + Oxygen + Water == Compost
6/19/2013 Brigade Gateway Residents Welfare Association, Bangalore 6

7. Problems with Composting
• Mixed waste
• Bones and other large pieces, no shredder. Scavenging.
• Smell in Parking lot.
• Technicalities of Composting process.
• Storage spaces
• Finding a sustainable market
6/19/2013 Brigade Gateway Residents Welfare Association, Bangalore 7

8. Economics of Waste Management
• Daily waste generated in Brigade Gateway
– Wet (700 kg), Paper (145 kg), Plastic (93 kg), Metal (4 kg), Glass (38
kg), Biomedical (67 kg)
• Input costs –
– Real Estate (Notional), Depreciation, AMC, Labour, Saw Dust, Garden
waste, Additives, Power, Water, R&D
• Depending on quality and type of customer, can fetch
between Rs 1.3 to Rs 10/kg
• Based on current rates and at 30% wet waste composting, we
are losing money. With 100% composting, we forecast a net
profit.
6/19/2013 Brigade Gateway Residents Welfare Association, Bangalore 8

9. Waste Management at a Community Level
• Community participation key.
• Residents apathy.
• Benefits –
– Feel good factor
– Economics
– Socially Responsible Community
6/19/2013 Brigade Gateway Residents Welfare Association, Bangalore 9