How to rescue a public place from garbage menace

1 Introduction

This article describes how to rescue a public place from garbage menace

“Don’t call the world dirty because you forgot to clean your glasses.”

—Aaron Hill

2 BBMP Sahaaya App

If you find a public place filled with garbage or garbage been burnt and if you wish to act on it, it says a lot about you. great!

Take a picture of the place filled with garbage using your mobile phone/computer and submit a complaint in BBMP Sahaaya App adding details/photo and location in the map. Once your complaint is submitted, you will receive acknowledgment and the ticket will be assigned to concerned Health Inspector of your area and you will receive the health inspector mobile number.

BBMP Official Sahaaya

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.indigo.pgas_311app

http://bbmp.sahaaya.in/ 

2.1 Success Stories

• Success Story 1

3 SpotFix is the Solution

We have to accept the fact that we were the contributors towards the garbage menace as we don’t manage waste carefully.

Spotfix here refers to fixing the spot by clearing all the garbage and beautify the public place in such a way that it should not look like an ugly place and no-one should feel like throwing garbage after seeing the place.

Speak to the health inspector over phone and tell him/her about the situation and share the photos and build friendship and trust with them in order to do a spotfix.

3.1 Create a Spotfix WhatsApp group

Talk to your friends and neighbors in your area and share the photographs of the ugly garbage piled public place and inspire them by showing the actions you have taken towards the same and also give the confidence that together as citizen volunteers, you can transform the ugly public place into a beautiful one. Create a WhatsApp group with the team members and share the updates in the group.

3.2 Fix a Spotfix Date

It should not be late as the momentum will slow down. From the time you have formed a decent team, spotfix date should be between 5 to 10 days. Include the health inspector also as part of the group. The ideology is to work with the government instead of pointing fingers at each otheer.

3.3 Materials Needed

If the garbage is huge, seek help of BBMP to clear the garbage(approach health inspector). if the garbage is less, procure few old sacks so that you can flll it with the garbage.

For Cleaning: You need sacks, tools like Mason’s Trowel, Wheel barrow,brushes, Shovel etc.(you will get it in any local hardware stores),

For beautification work: You need Paint(water/oil based), Thinner, Brushes, Rollers, many nose masks, many gloves, few Aprons, Stone Benches, buckets, mugs water etc etc(you will get it in local paint stores) and flower pots.

3.4 Spotfix Communication

Design a simple poster with the spot-fix date, time and venue and share it widely among the citizens/neighbors/residents via whatsapp and facebook groups like WhitefieldRising

3.5 Action On Spotfix Date

Usually having the spotfix in the morning is ideal between 7 AM and 11 AM depending upon the place the you fix. Take as many photos as possible in different angles before fixing the spot so that later you visually see the transformation done.

Reach the spot on time with a group of volunteers carrying all the materials. Make sure to clear the garbage if it is huge with help of BBMP or early in the morning before volunteers reach so that you have ample time for painting and beatification. Engage many volunteers in beautification work(mostly painting the wall/leveling the ground etc).

You need 2 core team volunteers to look after materials and mixing the paint etc and one core volunteer to guide other volunteers on what needs to be done phase wise. If you plan to have designs on the wall, then add one more vore volunteer for the design

Important principle in any spot fix is to silently do the work without talking much. Kaam Chalu Moo Bandh as inspired by The Ugly Indian.

• Clear the garbage and Clean the place.
• Water the wall and remove the posters
• Paint the base coat for wall
• Paint the design shapes.
• Place the pots and plant saplings and assemble stone benches.

3.6 Share the Transformation Story

It’s a pride to share the positive transformation story among all. Take pictures of the spot after the fix, in different angles. Create a poster with BEFORE/AFTER photo and share to all involved in it through social media/Whatsapp.

Give credits to BBMP and call it a Citizen/BBMP work so that they get the due credit for the support.

3.7 Funds for Spotfix

It is all about volunteer work. So as a leader of the spotfix you can spend initially in procuring the items needed and have the setup ready. And form a small core volunteer team and inform and collect Rs.100 from the volunteers who turn up.

In past experiences we have seen, ideally for a small place it wont cost you more than 3000 rs and for a medium size not more than 8000 rs and for a big fix not more than 15000 rs.(Again these figures are approximate and depending upon how much beautification you want to add)

3.8 Post Spotfix

Supervise the spot for next 3 nights by asking volunteers who pass-by to take photo and share.(Ideally if no garbage is found, then the spotfix is a huge success as the work spoke for itself). In case if you find , garbage bags, find for any clue of shop names and inform the health inspector about the same. And keep the same routine for a month by sharing photos in whatsapp group.

And share a blog on the spotfix story with photos and text so that others get inspired and do more of spot fixes.

For any kind of questions/principles please refer to The Ugly Indian or mail to  hello@whitefieldrising.org

3.9 Photo Story on Spotfix

Kundalahalli Gate Spotfix Story done in October 2016