3 November, 2009 - Thimphu students collected seven truckloads of waste from the capital and disposed them as they observed the Clean Bhutan Day on November 1.
The day was observed to raise awareness by students from 16 Thimphu schools. Initiated by the Royal Society for Protection of Nature (RSPN), the day was also observed throughout the country for better coordination and collaboration to address the urgent issues of waste and to bring about frameworks and measures to combat increasing waste streams in both rural and urban areas.
“From inefficient collection to lack of landfill space, waste streams have increased over the years along with diversity in waste composition with increasing consumerism,” according to RSPN officials. The problem of resource recovery and recycling starts with consumption patterns, lack of civic responsibilities, indiscriminate disposals and inadequate municipal facilities, leading to littering and increasing waste streams.
RSPN, through the programme, expects to bring about action from individual, households and institutions for a proper waste collection and disposal with strong recommendations on reduction, recycling and reuse.
The environment education officer of RSPN, Dago Tshering, said that “the event was observed throughout the country and they are yet to get the report from each dzongkhag.”
Last year 42,712 volunteers were mobilised through out the day to mark clean Bhutan day and about 115 metric tonnes of waste was collected from across the country. Thimphu alone saw 9.3 metric tonnes of waste on that day.
The clean Bhutan day initiative annual event is a three-year project aimed at improving the state of environment through research, education and action. The monk body of Thimphu participated in campaign cleaning Tashichho dzong area.
The first national survey on solid waste carried out last year in 10 urban centres of Bhutan by the department of urban development and engineering services (DUDES) revealed that each person generates about a kilogramme of household waste everyday. While Phuentsholing was listed the highest centre, with each individual generating about 1.2 kg of waste, the lowest was recorded at Trashigang with 0.6 kg.
Kinga Dema
