The History of Waste Management – Part 1:
Prior to 8 months ago in Achham, all waste was burned in a burning barrel or a brick chimney type incinerator. Plastics, medical waste, paper, bottles, and cans were all burned, or in riverside communities went directly into the water source. The local joke is that “It’s ok because it all ends up in India,” though some people might not think this is very funny. This is the way in Achham: everything gets swept into a small pile and burned in a small fire in the street, yard, rice field, or anywhere else it might develop. So inevitably the smell of smoldering trash is as much part of the environment as the smell of dead fish is part of the ocean. As a practice in the general community, when you open something that generates waste you drop it where you stand or, if indoors, simply throw it out the nearest portal to the outside world. There is more consideration of where you might spit, and certainly of where your dishwasher, laundry water, or post-foot-washing water may end up.
The Non-History Current Practice/Vision of Waste Management – Part 2:
A “sustainable” waste management system was developed and decided upon about 8 months ago, complete with green concepts and money-making potential. These are either the facts, or at a minimum the facts that I have deciphered via mixed stories, power struggles, emotional toil, and scattered half-English, half-Nepali conversations:
- About 8 lakh ($9,200) or more (the bills are still rolling in) was spent on the project.
- A business from Dhangadhi was going to buy the sorted recyclables for between 1 rupee ($0.0085) per kg for paper, and as much as hundreds of rupees per kg for metals.
- Hazardous medical waste is sorted by hand, then autoclaved, and finally buried on site.
- “Mercury-free” designation was hypothetically gained.
- A future food-producing garden was envisioned, with dirt supplied by composted biodegradable waste (proposed not launched).
- A “biodigestor” would be employed for methane collection and use as cook stove fuel (proposed not launched).
- This system would stand as the paragon of environmental sustainability practices in Achham.
- In a few years, it was projected that this program would fully fund itself.
How the System Works (from the perspective of a waste-generating individual):
At two select exterior locations (the main Outpatient Department double doors, Inpatient Department, and the Emergency Room door) you can find the full monty: a commingled paper/plastic bin, bottle/can recycling, and biodegradable composting bins. To supplement the main locations listed above, paper/plastic bins are placed in about every room. For clinical staff, waste management trolleys were custom-fabricated by a local welder. They hold 4 large bins, 4 smaller bins, and 2 micro bins. These carts can be found in two locations: Emergency Room (ER), and Inpatient Department (IPD). The clinical staff should be able to easily decide the proper receptacle of waste generated, based on the following labeled bins: “infectious, syringe style glass medicine container, needle, syringe, plastic odd ends/plastic tubing and non infectious waste bins.”
In the canteen, they have been issued 2 extra large bins, for bio-degradable compost and commingled paper/plastic, as well as a 3 outdoor, aerated composting containers. The dirt from these compost bins was envisioned to eventually go to a garden that would grow vegetables to be cooked at the canteen. Lastly, once all previous stages had been completed, a “Biodigestor” would be installed. As very few people fully grasp how this system works, I will cite the Biodigestor website: “You put cow manure in one end and get out usable cooking gas and organic fertilizer. The odorless gas is piped into the kitchen where it can be burned for 4-5hrs a day, replacing the need to collect firewood. The liquid fertilizer is rich in nutrients to boost crop production. And, the patio is no longer littered with cow manure. Biodigestors are relatively simple to construct and made with cheap local materials.” At the hospital