ITANAGAR, 7 Jul: Students from Dera Natung Government College (DNGC), interning at the Youth Mission for Clean River (YMCR) as part of their course curriculum, carried out a door-to-door information education and communication (IEC) campaign to promote waste segregation.
Supported by the Itanagar Smart City Development Corporation, the campaign took place at Tagin Colony, IG Park, Abo Tani Colony, Division 4, and Chandranagar to encourage better waste disposal practices.
Twenty student interns, organized into five groups of four, visited over 100 households, with each group covering around 20 homes. They explained how to separate wet (biodegradable) and dry (non-biodegradable) waste using green bins for wet waste and blue bins for dry waste to improve waste management and recycling. Pamphlets and posters were distributed to households and local vendors to reinforce the message.
“Our goal was to help people adopt waste segregation as a daily habit,” said one student intern. The campaign demonstrated to residents how to compost wet waste like food scraps at home, dispose of non-recyclable dry waste through Itanagar Municipal Corporation (IMC) garbage trucks, and give recyclable items like paper, plastic, and metal to local scrap dealers.
Many residents welcomed the effort and expressed interest in following these practices. However, challenges included language barriers when communicating with elderly residents who didn’t speak Hindi or English.
In areas like Tagin Colony, where garbage trucks don’t regularly visit, some residents were seen dumping waste in nearby areas or streams.
The students explained the environmental harm caused by this and encouraged better waste management to protect local streams and public health.
While many residents were familiar with waste segregation, some, particularly older people, needed guidance.
Younger residents and adults praised the students, the YMCR, and the Itanagar Smart City Development Corporation for their efforts.
The campaign also highlighted issues like polluted streams in some areas due to improper waste disposal.
