8 years, zero waste to landfill: A south Delhi colony is repurposing waste like no other

At a time when Delhi grapples with mountains of garbage and choking pollution, one residential colony in South Delhi has achieved something extraordinary: for the past eight years, not a single bag of waste generated by its 280 households has gone to a landfill.

From plastic wrappers, kitchen scraps, sanitary waste, expired medicines, electronic waste and old furniture to broken toys, clothes and footwear, everything in Navjiwan Vihar is either composted, recycled, repurposed or responsibly disposed of.

The residents named it a ‘zero waste to landfill’ model. Even benches for public spaces have been created using almost 900 kg of plastic waste.

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Behind this change is 52-year-old Dr Ruby Makhija, an eye surgeon who took over as Navjiwan Vihar Resident Welfare Association (RWA) secretary eight years ago and decided to fix one of the most common yet most overlooked urban problems of waste management.

“I was a doctor, and I knew how health is connected to our environment. I had read about the solid waste management rules and realised how badly we needed to implement them,” Makhija said.

Describing her journey, “We began small. We studied, experimented, and got support from the MCD. Initially, we used compost pits, but those had issues of space and smell. Over time, we switched to machines and more effective solutions,” Makhija added.

Today, around 125 kg of kitchen waste is composted daily, which nourishes the colony’s gardens. Dry waste like paper, metal, plastic and glass is sent to certified recyclers.

Sanitary waste and the 1-2 per cent residual waste are handed over to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) for its safe disposal. Nothing goes to the landfill, the residents claim.

They’ve even taken recycling a step further.

Colony’s 24-hour, self-run NGO “Triple R” (reuse, recycle, reduce) centre accepts donations from within and outside the colony. From old clothes and broken furniture to footwear and utensils, everything is sorted and sent to NGOs or artisans who repurpose it.

“We’ve recycled nearly 30 tonnes of non-degradable waste through this system,” says Makhija.

She told PTI that when new residents move in, they’re welcomed with a letter, not just from the society but also from its waste management team. The letter explains the system and expectations.

For awareness generation, volunteers visit homes and add people to WhatsApp groups for regular updates.

The journey to ‘zero waste to landfill’ model, however, wasn’t easy.

Makhija recalled, “In the beginning, we had to educate people every day, explain what goes in which bin, why it mattered. There was resistance, especially from workers who said it wasn’t their job.”

“Some residents worried about bad smell from composting. But we kept working, door to door, messages, videos, meetings. Slowly, habits changed,” she added.

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Nidhi, a resident of the colony, believes being part of such a community is a matter of pride.

“We are all conscious of how our waste impacts the environment. We segregate at source and manage all our waste, from electronics to kitchen scraps. There is no planet B, and our actions matter for the future generation,” Nidhi said.

Another resident, Dolly Narang, said, “Every home here separates dry, wet and sanitary waste. Plastic is always recycled. Our initiative may be small, but it can inspire others to take action, too.”

What began in 2017 as a single idea has now become a model replicated in multiple colonies — including in Delhi Cantonment and other areas. Dr Makhija said that she helped set up similar systems elsewhere.