It has been exactly two decades since we started adopting measures to reduce the amount of solid waste. In particular, there are many challenges in implementing the concept of zero waste. And, the results that come out of this not only satisfy environmentalists like me, but also reduce the amount of waste. 

I have started managing household waste, i.e., rotting and non-rotting waste from the kitchen, for a long time. First, I have classified the two types of waste coming out of the kitchen - rotting waste i.e., raw waste (from vegetables and fruits) and cooked waste

(leftover food) according to their nature and kept them separately in two buckets with lids. 

The waste collected in the morning and evening should be disposed of on the rooftop if possible, otherwise, a pit should be dug and covered in another open place.  In such a case, it should be collected in a bucket with a large opening in one corner and small holes in the bottom. After a few days, the raw waste collected in this way will slowly start to ooze out. Another similar bucket (with a small hole in the lid) is needed to collect the ooze.

In this way, the ooze coming out of the raw waste collected in the first bucket is collected in another bucket. A hole should be made on one side of the lower bucket to drain the ooze. The ooze coming out of this hole can be collected in any container. The ooze can be mixed in a ratio of one to two, i.e. one part ooze to two parts water, and applied to plants once or twice a week.

Similarly, cooked waste, i.e. leftover food, can be mixed with normal soil and dried in the sun for a few days, and the waste turns into soil. Such soil can be reused. And since I started implementing the concept of zero waste, not only have the three rooftops of my house become greener, but I have also been able to consume seasonal and non-seasonal pesticide-free vegetables and fruits. Not only that, I have also started to observe rooftop farming from time to time before teaching vegetables and fruits to my pre-primary students.

Whether we want to or not, we collect the colorful small and large plastic bags that come into the house along with vegetables and groceries and give them to the grocery store and collect milk cartons after washing them and throw them in the garbage. Similarly, we have started to make various types of materials for educational, household and office purposes from useless paper. To make such materials, first the paper should be soaked in a large-mouthed bucket or pot for four to five days.

The wet paper should be crushed on a rough surface or a wooden board until it becomes fine, and when the crushed paper is a little coarser than flour, the water can be squeezed out and used to make various types of educational materials. In my school, I use educational materials made from such useless paper along with other play materials.

Although the sustainable and scientific management of household waste, that is, solid waste generated from homes and schools, seems more difficult than outside the home, it has become a lifestyle for people like me who are interested in waste management. If we can manage household and school waste sustainably and scientifically by adopting home remedies, opportunities also come along with challenges. All we need is a strong will.

Individuals and groups who have been behaving in an environmentally friendly manner, directly or indirectly, have done everything from household waste management to tree planting in their own way. In this way, the environment is also being protected.

Ironically, the priority of various media outlets for environmental protection, including waste management, has not been given to environmental protection. That is why public interest in environmental protection, including waste management, has not increased. In this context, the monthly 'Teacher' has been disseminating research-based materials on environmental protection, including zero waste. For example, in the issue of last year (2082 Pus) under the 'Education and Cleanliness' column, 'Zero Waste at Home, Green Education at School' and in the same column in Magh, under the title 'How to Make Green School Practice Comprehensive', Budhanilkantha Municipality in Kathmandu had conducted on-site reporting on the implementation of the concept of 'zero waste' in the cooperatives and schools operating under its ward. The report had mentioned in detail how the municipality is implementing the 'zero waste concept' in the members affiliated with the cooperatives and schools.

However, the local government and the media have completely failed to increase public interest in environmental protection, including waste management. In particular, the local government needs to take the initiative to conduct village-level or ward-level orientation programs on environmental issues, especially household waste management, which fall under social development. Ironically, these and other issues are not a priority for the local government. Most local levels have given the responsibility of municipal waste management to private companies.

For example, private companies have been managing waste from all 19 wards of Biratnagar Metropolitan City, which has a population of 244,750, in the old-fashioned way for three decades. Such private companies have also been managing waste in the traditional way. Those companies have not been able to process and manage waste according to its nature like developed countries. As an exception, the media occasionally brings to the public the issue of Dhangadhi Mayor Gopi Hamal starting to earn extra income by processing waste according to its nature.