Waste Generated and Adoption of Waste Management Practices among Rural Households in Haryana

Abstract

The technologies recommended for waste management for rural areas are vermi- composting, bio-gas, mushroom cultivation and durrie making. A sample of 100 rural women practicing any one of these four recommended technologies was drawn from villages of Hisar district, Haryana state. The objective of the study was to assess the nature, extent and utilization of waste generated among rural households, and management practices followed. Waste generated 'daily' included vegetable peels, animal dung and urine, 'frequently' polythene bags, fruit peels, tins, bottles, old clothes, dried twigs and weeds, 'occasionally' but in larger quantity was agri-waste in the form of stalk and straw . Utilization pattern revealed that old clothes, cut pieces, animal dung , fruit and vegetable peels, wheat straw, cotton stalk were extensively reused while decorative items were prepared from plastics bottles, polythene bags and empty bottles. Many women had received formal training in vermi-composting, some in mushroom production while all received subsidy for installing biogas plant. Majority of respondents were practicing the recommended waste management practices recommended by scientists and government departments mainly from last 2-5 years, had used personal savings for starting these micro enterprises, had high economic motivation, mushrooms were grown only for market sale , vermin compost was sold also used in own field, biogas was for household use and durrie was prepared mainly for household use.