Pick The No Waste Option

- Sonia Henam & Swati Singh Sambyal

IT WAS first practiced at an internation-al workshop on zero waste in Kovalam in 2000. Called the Green Pro-tocol, the new age waste management system has today been replicated and implemented all across Kerala and has now become a movement. Many institutions have adopted this initiative, including the state legislative assembly complex in Thiruvananthapuram. Attukkal Pongala, a religious festival where over four million women congregate in the state’s capital, has enforced the methods of the Green Protocol. Schools and festival venues too have adopted this waste management model.

So what is Green Protocol? It is essentially a set of measures, which when implemented, results in a significant reduction  of waste. The significance of Green Protocol is this: as waste reduction occupies the top position in the waste management hierarchy, the Green Protocol’s methodology is focused on the prevention of waste generation. More importantly, implementing the Green Protocol can save money as well as resources. It has emerged as one of the most efficient and sustainable models in waste management.