Waste to Food (GAF 2018)

Citizen consumer and civic Action Group initiated a brief campaign called “Waste to Food '' in Arikamedu, Chennai. The main objective of the campaign is to educate consumers on sustainable consumption, waste management and collective use of compost from common composting units for kitchen gardens, and thus instill the practice of sharing of resources that will contribute to a healthy environment.

Bring about behavioral change among the targeted consumers on consumption habits and waste management, and educate them on the concept of sharing, which will contribute to a healthy environment.

Aware consumers – on sustainable consumption and importance of sharing

Train the community – on waste management in households and composting wet-waste without going to landfills, which will go a long way in protecting the environment

Educate consumers – on collective use of compost from common composting units, for kitchen gardens, to produce organic food

The focus of the campaign is largely in extending support to households in setting up of common waste segregation kits and group gardens. It aims to create awareness and disseminate information around

(i) 20 households from Arikamedu, Chennai with the help of local community catalyst who engage with the community for social work were identified who were willing to develop and maintain kitchen garden through shared waste segregation process.

ii) Awareness programme, in the form of street play

(iii) Information leaflet on management of day to day waste at household level

(iv) Estimated the waste generated and installed composting units of appropriate capacity in common places.

(v) Training was given to the identified 20 women, from 20 households. They were taught to segregate and manage wet waste and dry waste and maintain the composting units.

(vi) Information booklet on sustainable consumption and the concept of sharing

(vii) 2 awareness programs on sustainable consumption and the concept of sharing

(viii) Kitchen garden kit – soil, seeds, manure, etc. for setting up the kitchen garden – Set up the Kitchen garden for 20 households

(ix) Evaluation – survey questionnaire to evaluate the understanding of consumers on sustainable consumption, concept of sharing, managing waste

Increased awareness about the importance of waste segregation and group kitchen gardens.
Increased adoption of group waste segregation practise and kitchen gardens among household consumers.