Gargaon College organized a workshop on solid waste management

SIVASAGAR: A one day state level workshop on solid waste management was held at Gargaon College on Tuesday. The workshop was organized by ECO Club, Gargaon College in collaboration with NSS Unit and Department of Chemistry, Gargaon College and supported by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India.

The workshop began with a plantation programme. Dr Sabyasachi Mahanta, acclaimed academician and Principal of Gargaon College delivered the welcome address. Emphasizing upon the need to protect one’s environment in consideration of the drastic signs of climate change, Dr Mahanta underscored the urgency of making citizens aware of the ways to manage solid waste in order to keep the environment clean and maintain the equilibrium of the ecosystem. He cited several instances of the lackadaisical attitude of citizens towards the environment including the nuisance of spitting in public spaces. He explained the hazards of such practices and the necessity of changing such habits inimical to the environment.

Dr Rimjim Borah, Coordinator of Eco Club, Programme Officer of NSS Unit and Head of the Department of Economics, Gargaon College in a comprehensive and illuminating presentation titled “Overview of Solid Waste Management” explicated the meaning and types of solid waste and methods of waste management.

Providing a statistics of waste deposition by different countries, she highlighted how India is among the 12 countries responsible for 60% of the planet’s mismanaged plastic waste but is simultaneously classified as a “low-waste-producing” polluter. Using several concepts from Economics such as “Negative Externality”, she highlighted the importance of consumption without exerting a negative effect on others.

Further, she emphasized the significance of Green accounting which serves as a vital tool to help in the management of environmental and operational costs of natural resources.

The second resource person, Dr Bikash Sarma, Assistant Professor of the Department of Chemistry, Sonari College in an informative talk titled “Plastic Waste Management” explained about the formation of plastic, the ways to reduce the plastic waste, hazards of plastic waste and the different government regulations for management of such waste.

In another enlightening presentation titled “Upcycling of Plastics and Success Stories”, Dr Saheen Shehnaz Begum, Assistant Professor of the Department of Chemistry, Gargaon College explained about the concept of upcycling of plastic by the process of creative redesigning to convert plastic made materials into functional products. The presentations were followed by a hands-on training on waste management conducted by the NSS volunteers of Gargaon College in which participants were trained how to turn wastes into wealth. Around 100 students from various schools along with teachers-in-charges participated in the workshop. The programme concluded with the vote of thanks delivered by Dr Rimjim Borah, Coordinator of Eco Club and Programme Officer of NSS Unit, Gargaon College.

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