The historic 108 Stupas event brought thousands of people to Gelephu, generating a huge amount of waste over the four-day event. Volunteers from the Bhutan Waste Management and Recycling Association (BWMRA) worked behind the scenes to keep the city clean.Volunteers were seen across Gelephu collecting unattended waste. Their work covered the main Zeeray site, the 108 Stupas locations, camps, food stalls and entertainment areas throughout the event.
According to Nim Tshering, a member of BWMRA, more than 250 volunteers from across the country were engaged in waste management services for the event.
“We are very fortunate to have received this opportunity to provide our services in waste management for this event. Through the coordination of the association, we have more than 250 volunteers from across the country providing their services today.”
Managing waste on such a large scale was not an easy task. The association deployed around 25 trucks to collect waste.
Pem Dorji, Vice Chairman of BWMRA, said the event was much larger than previous gatherings where the association had provided similar services.
“Till now, the largest gathering where we provided our services was around 20,000 people. Here, there were about 100,000 plus people. For such a large crowd, the 200 to 300 volunteers we had were not enough. The 20 to 30 vehicles we had were also not enough. We will need more volunteers and waste-collecting vehicles for future events.”
The association says recyclable waste was separated for scrap dealers, while biodegradable waste was disposed of at Jigmeling.
Through their voluntary service and collective effort, the volunteers helped keep Gelephu clean during the historic event.
Passang Dorji, Gelephu
Edited by Tandin Phuntsho
