iCubed 2014 Idea 2: Solid waste management through 5S

06 Sep iCubed 2014 Idea 2: Solid waste management through 5S

Lokesh Agarwal & Libin Joshua – Mahindra Research Valley

Objective: The idea proposes a system which attempts to solve the problems in solid waste management by incorporating the well proven 5S process (Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardize &Sustain). The objective of the idea is to implement 5S for solid waste management in the residential sections of the community by creating awareness about the solid waste generated, its segregation and disposal.

Need: In today’s fast moving world, people are very much interested in what they are buying/using but rarely interested in what they are wasting / throwing. This idea throws light on this well experienced yet not dealt problem of ‘solid waste’. Everyday  4700  MT  of  waste  is  produced  in  Chennai  but  not  effectively recycled and used in land filling. If analysed, nearly 80-85% of the waste can be recycled and which is not happening. The main root cause is awareness and system in place for the solid waste management. Hence, a system/process is the urgent need of the time.

Implementation: The implementation of this idea is essentially to carry out the steps in 5S process. As an example, the steps followed during the pilot phase are laid out below.

Sort: The  students  in  the  orphanage  were  gathered  in  one  place  and  were  explained  about  the importance of the waste segregation in RED, BLUE and GREEN bins according to the nature of waste.

Set in Order: The  bins  were  arranged  according  to  the  places  where  it  is  mostly  used,  like  the  GREEN  bin which should contain the organic matter is placed in the kitchen. The RED and BLUE are placed in the common area where children take there snacks and study.

Shine: The bins are provided with plastic bags so that they don’t get dirty and also interesting pictures are kept on the bin for the attraction and information about the waste to be thrown in the bin.

Standardize: The  segregated  waste  is  recycled  and  this  system  of  segregation  and  then  disposing  them accordingly would be implemented in other residential area where this is not happening.

Sustain: Continuous disposal, troubleshooting the problems encountered and watch on the people is done to sustain the system. To develop technology for monitoring the bins and also to locate them.