From dumping garbage along the roadsides to throwing it in the river, this was how most residents in rural parts of Paro managed their waste. But not anymore. The residents are now able to properly dispose of their waste thanks to a waste management company. The company was started by a villager who was facing difficulty managing household waste and decided to do something about it.
45-year-old Dawa Penjor from Drugyel in Tsento Gewog started the company in July last year.
He says he decided to start the company after his requests to local authorities for waste collection services in rural villages were declined.
Since then, Clean and Green’s two trucks have been going around visiting all villages that have road connectivity, collecting waste and then dumping it at the landfill in Shaba Gewog.
Dawa Penjor said, “For now, we are collecting waste from eight gewogs in Paro. We will soon start collecting from Dogar and Naja Gewog as well. Since Municipal collects waste from the town area, we are doing it in villages and I have noticed villages produce more waste than that of people residing in the town.”
He said he also obtained permission from the District Office and respective gewog offices to start his business.
Tsento Gup Chencho Gyeltshen said, “We have thoroughly discussed this during the Dzongkhag Tsogdu, Gewog Tshogdus and in several meetings chaired by the Dzongda and decided to use the services from Clean and Green. In terms of the fees, we decided that the villagers would pay Nu 100 per month and the shopkeepers would pay Nu 150.”
The waste trucks visit the villages once a week and go to the satellite towns twice.
Dago Tshering, a shopkeeper in Drugyel said, “They come twice a week to collect the waste from our shops. I can see changes in waste management in villages and here in the town. We can no longer see people dumping their waste along the roads and in the forest. It has become much cleaner.”
“We pay Nu 300 for three months and it’s reasonable. We don’t have to store the waste. They come and take our waste. It’s very convenient. We used to either burn our waste or dump it in the forest,” said Gaki, a resident of Nyamjey in Tsento Gewog.
Besides collecting waste, Clean and Green is planning to buy recyclable and reusable trash from the villages.
Namgay Wangchuk, Paro
Edited by Sangay Chezom
