Dr Ruby Makhija is a true Recycling Hero and it is the Re-Plastic blog’s privilege to showcase and celebrate Dr Ruby and Delhi's Navjiwan Residents Welfare Association as RE-Plastic Changemakers and Recycling Heroes on Global Recycling Day 2021.
I connected with Dr Ruby during the #DailyDumpChat tweet chat organized on Saturday nights by @Compostwali and was most impressed by this wonderful short video synopsis of the sustainability best practices of the Navjiwan RWA, of which she is the secretary and reached out to her to share her insights.
Dr Ruby Makhija
First, a
little about Dr Ruby Makhija:
Dr Ruby is
an Ophthalmologist as well as being the Secretary, Navjiwan RWA. Her forte is
Community Building. She is the founder of Aastha Charitable Trust as well as
"Let's Be The Change (Delhi)" - A collective of RWAs, Civic
Authorities, NGOs, CSRs, Educationists and Individuals working on Waste Management.
Some of her
stellar achievements and initiatives include:
1.
Swachhata Champion award from SDMC
2 .100%
Waste Segregation at source and wet waste composting in Navjeevan Vihar
3.
Biodegradable Sanitary Napkin program
4. संस्कार
[Sanskar, meaning values] - Value based group for children
5. श्रमदान
[Shramdham, meaning volunteering]- My Delhi, My Responsibility
6. नवोदय [Navoday – meaning new dawn]- Senior citizen care program.
7. Awards
Swachhata Champion award from SDMC
- Special
Mention award from URJA (body of 2500 RWAs) and IGSSS NGO for outstanding and
exemplary work
- Certificate
for efforts towards water conservation and passion for Environment
8. Navjiwan
RWA received 1st Rank in Swachhata Ranking of RWAs, SZ, SDMC twice
consecutively during her tenure
9.
Handholding [Sharing best practices with] around 15 other colonies in
implementing and practicing waste management.
Now for
insights into the work Dr Ruby Makhija does with Navjiwan RWA which make them
#RecyclingHeroes and RE-Plastic Changemakers:
Q1. How long have you been part of the Navjiwan
Residents Welfare Association (RWA)? How did you, an ophthalmologist get
involved in your colony’s eco-initiatives?
A1. I am
the Secretary, Navjiwan RWA for the last 4 years. I have been in public work, working
with charitable eye hospitals, for nearly 17 years. I always had the desire and
drive to make the lives of people around me better. I came into contact with
Navjiwan RWA when I moved into the colony four and a half years back. I
realized that this RWA was yet another platform to serve people and support the
authorities to make our colony and our city a better place.
Being a
doctor, I was well aware of the negative impact of the deteriorating
environment on the health of people. I also know that every little effort
towards conserving the environment could make a difference. Fortunately, the
residents of our colony are also environmentally quite conscious. I started
introducing small changes in habits that could benefit the environment and
gradually change started happening. My RWA’s President and Executive Committee
members have been very supportive too.
Q2. What are some of the awards, recognitions and achievements of your RWA’s green practices?
A2. We
achieved 100% waste segregation at Source in our colony in August 2019,
we do 100% wet waste community composting; we have leaf composters in all
our parks, most of our residents do not use single use plastic: we use cloth
bags, we have free biodegradable sanitary napkin distribution program for all
the 160 ladies working in our colony; we have recently launched our dry
resource segregation program in which we will be segregating dry waste into 7
categories and send it for recycling; we upcycle our used bedsheets, curtains,
sarees and dupattas into cloth bags; we have avoided use of over 30,000
disposables in the last 3 years by using crockery from crockery bank; we
integrate all our events with environmentalism.
The work of
Navjiwan RWA and its residents is widely recognized by authorities; in print,
electronic and social media. We secured 1st Rank twice in Swachhata Ranking of
RWAs in Swachh Survekshan held by Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. The
visit of HE Mr. Sveinung Rotevatn, Minister for Environment and Climate Change,
Norway to our colony to study our waste management program was probably the
biggest recognition. I have received Swachhatta Champion Award from SDMC,
Special Mention award from IGSSS and URJA and certificate acknowledging efforts
towards water conservation and passion for environment from Suez BA India.
Q3. What would you say is the flagship program of your RWA’s Cleanliness drive?
Q4. When did you ban Single-Use Plastic in your
RWA and how did you go about it?
A4. Ban on
some categories of single-use plastics (SUPs) was announced by the government
in August 2019 with an aim to drastically reduce consumption of SUPs by Gandhi
Jayanti 2019. We started creating awareness on the same and achieved huge
success by 2nd October 2019.
Q5. Please elaborate on your Plastic Free
Initiatives that won the acclaim from Meenakshi Lekhi?
A5. Hon’ble
Member of Parliament, Mrs Meenakshi Lekhi has appreciated and acknowledged most
of our plastic free initiatives. But the main one was free distribution of 100%
biodegradable sanitary napkin to 160 domestic helps in our colony. Our
residents contributed towards this program that has now been running successfully
for the past 19 months. Apart from being an environment initiative, it helps
educate and empower these women. Every month when these ladies come to collect
the supply of sanitary napkins, we talk to them about waste segregation, use of
cloth bag instead of plastic bag; the need to avoid littering and spitting;
menstrual hygiene and nutrition.
Other eco-initiatives appreciated and supported by her are upcycling of used bedsheets, curtains, sarees and dupattas – we have stitched and distributed over 2,500 bags from used bedsheets, curtains, sarees and dupattas. These bags have been given to residents, domestic helps, guards, drivers, shopkeepers and construction site workers. Our ladies carry a cloth bag in their purse at all times and men in the boot space of their vehicles. We carry our own water bottles when we go out. Mrs Lekhi admires the use of Crockery Bank on our events and she makes a special mention of the same every time she visits us.
Q6. How do you incentivize traders to stop using single-use plastics?
A6. We
distribute free cloth bags to all the vendors in our colony and sometimes the
shopkeepers in the colony. More than incentivizing the traders, I believe in
changing the behaviour and mindset of the consumer. If consumers carry their
own bags, shopkeepers will not have to struggle.
Q7. How big is your RWA park and what do you
grow there?
A7. We have
three parks with a total area of 2.4 acres. We have a herb garden where we grow
basil, tulsi, ajwain, aloe vera etc.
Q8. How do your members access the crockery
bank – how many people use it (on average)?
A8. We have
a crockery bank in our adjoining colony. Ms Mamta Agarrwal runs the bank and
generously lends it free of cost to anyone who needs it. She has over 300 sets
of excellent quality thalis [plates], glasses, spoons, tea canters, serving
bowls etc. Though she never expects anything, we try to strengthen her hands by
adding stuff every time we borrow. Most of the residents who hold events at
home avail this service. For Bhandaras etc. where 700-800 people are served, we
use pattals [leaf plates] that are
added to our compost pits after the event. Since gatherings have gone down due
to covid-19, we are not holding events now. But on an average we used to borrow
crockery 10 to 12 times a year for RWA events as well as for the Navjiwan residents’
personal satsangs and parties.
Q9. What are the sustainable practices you
follow at home? How do you foster this eco-friendly lifestyle?
A9.
Minimalism, waste-segregation and Home-composting, organic gardening in my
balcony, cloth bags, water saving devices in all my taps, energy saving gadgets
etc.
Q10. How has sustainability and waste
management benefitted and brought together residents of Navjiwan Vihar and
fostered community building?
A10.
Awareness workshops are fun. We have cleanliness drives, painting sessions,
rallies, parades, quizzing, community games etc. Residents from all age groups
get a chance to mingle with and spend quality time with each other. This helps
build a very strong community. We call it Navjiwan Family not Navjiwan Vihar.
Our children are awarded for every small effort and parents & grandparents
take a lot of pride in it. Recognition in print and electronic media &
awards further instil a sense of pride in the residents and they pick up the
next initiative with even more zeal and enthusiasm.
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