Midweek Musings 1 10.12.2025
By Malini Shankar
So, ... since it is December we might as well reflect on the one more year that slips into history of our own lives...
Another World Handicapped Day has whizzed past us. There is still no public representative nominated to the Upper House of Indian Parliament to represent the interests of the differently abled persons for policy formulation. A ramp is there... but to serve only the needs of the Union Railway Minister. Indian Railways has still not introduced wheelchair compatible ramps for the benefit of differently abled passengers...We have such a yawning gap in the public sphere in India to fulfill the needs of differently abled persons.
How many of us have stopped ourselves short of bribing a clerk at a government office in the month of December 2025? I can count myself in.
How many of us have continued to do our exercise and diet regimen in December that we so valiantly resolved at the start of the year? My scores are better than same time last year, am happy to share!
How many of us have planted trees this year? No point saying I donated this much money to tree plantation schemes. Point is how many tree saplings have you planted? As against say how many units of power supply for air conditioning have you used for yourself this year in 2025? Let's start keeping an account for our Climate footprint. How much fuel have we spent in 2025? How much could we have saved by opting for public transport instead? This is critical audit and if documented diligently cumulatively, in the public domain, we can make a difference at a eye ball to eyeball level. Eyeball contact after all fans the conscience.
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| In Germany dry waste is separated as paper / newsprint / flyers; glass; cans, and toilet wastes ... only the toilet wastes are incinerated. The rest, it is attempted - to reduce... |
Have I personally made an effort to separate biodegradable organic wastes from dry litter? Have I made an effort to reduce my waste rests that cannot be degraded into wet soil and peat? Lets start by weighing the per capita biodegradable wet wastes we generate on a weekly basis...
If the biodegradable wastes are properly segregated we can literally make soil...
I separate waste on the following lines...:
Kitchen waste, food waste is dumped in the backyard to disintegrate to become peat, and soil... its calorific value helps in moistening the soil. Soil organic Carbon or sequestered Carbon helps mitigate the atmospheric warmth thereby mitigating global warming and to that extent cools the planet. Cumulatively it will make a difference.
Packaging material in India goes off as dry waste and is either dumped into the soil offsetting Carbon emissions and contributing to global warming; or is incinerated - again contributing to atmospheric warming.
We need to separate waste into different categories:
- Biodegradable (organic / wet wastes),
- Plastics, recyclable material,
- Re-usable stuff / upscalable material
- Glass ware,
- Flyers / paper / newsprint
- Medical wastes like syringes, bloodied matter from hospitals and clinics,
- Hazardous wastes (like photographic films, ink, printer cartridges, industrial chemicals, dyes, etc)
- E Waste (computer / IT / ITES wastes)
- untreatable toilet wastes like sanitary towels used condoms, etc.
Did you know that non-standardised packaging material has metallic components and when we discard / incinerate it without separating it... it contributes to particulate matter in the air and is not just a pollutant but we are actively contributing to global warming and global toxification? If only packaging material is made of recyclable material we not just decrease waste but wholly dispense with metallic emisions, particulate matter that is so polluting.
How effectively have we reached our professional and health goals this year? Do yourself a personal audit!
How much have we ourselves acted upon on our own constructive enterprise/ (ing) thoughts?
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