Residential complexes to be rated on availability of garbage disposal system

When buying a home in a developed complex, look for garbage disposal systems. If the complex scores high on this count, chances are you are buying into a good property. If not, your investment may well stink!

Flashy façade and state of the art amenities are all okay. However, the true utility of the residential complexes lies in how efficient it is in helping dispose off the garbage. Residential complexes in Mumbai and Thane will now be rated on availability of garbage disposal system integrated into the residential building.

How is garbage collected? How is it disposed? These two questions can reveal a lot about a housing block’s cleanliness record. There are many developers who build modern apartments and showcase garbage disposal systems that are designed for healthier living and a greener planet. However, not all follow through on the promise. Mumbai and Thane have seen several modern developments in plush locations, with chutes for wet garbage and dry garbage to facilitate segregation and easier disposal, where the waste is not segregated despite the provision. Worse, in some societies, while residents segregate, the maintenance staff mixes all the waste.

Provisions by builders don’t alone make for waste conscious living. Even the residents should learn some civic sense. They should learn to segregate the wet garbage from dry one. Segregation ensures that a most of the waste is recycled and doesn’t end up in landfills. Besides, unhealthy chemical reactions due to mixing wastes can be avoided. However, in most residential complexes, nobody takes the effort to educate the maintenance staff about this. What’s also often lacking is the initiative by residents to undertake waste segregation and by the resident welfare bodies to ensure this is done.

If the residents exhibit some civic senses and resolve to segregate waste into dry, organic and sanitary waste, much can be attained. Just issue different coloured bins to each household to do this. Any non-compliance should be dealt with through the imposition of a stiff daily penalty. And this will work, say experts.

What’s more interesting is that the disposal of waste is earning the society a hefty sum, much of which is used as to incentivize the garbage collection team, which now realises that there is a direct benefit for ensuring compliance. The conscious effort to implement and efficiently manage the garbage disposal system has improved cleanliness within the residential complex. The staff responsible for garbage disposal ensures that no scraps fall out or get left behind. The efficiency gets reflected in most other areas of maintenance as well. And that’s a big pointer for any home buyer. And this is a tip for building associations.