Project Hilldaari by Nestlé India today celebrated three years of keeping Mussoorie clean and green. Over the years, the interventions have resulted in over 10,000 metric tonnes of solid waste being diverted from landfills through a multi-stakeholder collaboration involving municipal councils, citizens, contractors, waste workers, and influencers.
To commemorate the journey of Hilldaari, an event was organized with participation from all stakeholders, highlighting a glimpse of the interventions in previous years. The journey depicted how earlier all the waste from the city was being dumped in a 150-year-old landfill called Gaddikhana.
The waste accumulation was not only polluting the air but also contaminating the main water source of the city. Through collective efforts over the years, waste is now sent for recycling and processing to Sheeshambara Facility in Dehradun.
The residents are participating in waste segregation to ensure sustainable waste management. Public spaces have been beautified with wall paintings and portraits of waste workers, waste to art installations, and upcycled waste infrastructure, spreading awareness around cleanliness and waste segregation and influencing people not to litter.
Commenting on the journey, Mr. Sanjay Khajuria, Director – Corporate Affairs, Nestlé India said, “At its core, the Hilldaari initiative believes that all of us have something to contribute to making this world a better place.
Many stakeholders have joined hands as part of the Hilldaari initiative, this has helped in managing solid waste as well as working towards bringing about a sustainable change and protecting the environment.’’
Jyoti Mhapsekar, President, Stree Mukti Sanghatana further added, “The beauty of the project Hilldaari lies in how it ensures the value derived out of well-functioned and efficient waste management system reaches to the last mile stakeholder who is marginalized and is at the bottom of the waste supply chain – our formal & informal waste workers.”
During Covid-19 pandemic, the Hilldaari team extended further support by organizing virtual training for waste workers to help them adapt to the changes in the new normal, equipping them with safer working conditions. They were provided with PPE kits and safety kits and trained on how to use them.
Training was also provided on how to collect waste with minimum contact and ensure proper sanitation and safety. Waste workers were also trained to use smartphones and digital monitoring apps required for monitoring the collection and segregation of waste.
