RRR Centres in Visakhapatnam, one-stop kiosks to dispose of used material into potential resources

VISAKHAPATNAM: Are you a resident of Gajuwaka? Searching for a suitable place to dispose of your used or old clothes? The Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) has come up with a unique solution and established a Reduce, Reuse and Recycle (RRR) centre at Gajuwaka to dispose of waste materials into potential resources.

The GVMC, along with ECO Vizag theme has developed the RRR centre at Gajuwaka as a dropping point for old or unused clothes, shoes, old books, toys and used plastic which can be further upcycled or reused. The centre promotes the prestigious ‘Meri LiFE, Meri Swachh Shahar' campaign launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoUHA) as part of the Swachh Bharat Mission.

A dedicated Self Help Group (SHG) team with tailoring was engaged by the GVMC to upcycle old and used clothes into cloth bags. The team converts the used fabric collected from all RRR centres into cloth bags which are sold at the same place. The centre envisages lifestyle and behavioral change within the citizens and thereby ensuring a minimalistic and sustainable future for the Earth.

Speaking to NewsTAP, GVMC chief engineer P Ravi Krishna Raju said that the civic body opened six RRR centres as part of its plan for a cleaner and greener city under the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0 programme. The RRR centre at Gajuwaka was playing a key role in the proper disposal and recycling of old and used clothes in the locality, besides providing a source of employment for the women from the SHGs. The cloth bags manufactured from the old and used clothes at the centre were being sold at 10 stalls spread across the city through the support of voluntary organisations and NGOs, he said.

Apart from the RRR centre at Gajuwaka, the civic body also established five more RRR centres which focus on a unique theme and would become permanent fixtures in the city. At Yendada, a children's play arena was established with used automobile tyres, while in Jagadamba junction, a Women’s Rest-O-Cafe designed with used automobile tyres, selfie spaces and wall art designed with discarded potato chips and noodles wrappers are some of the highlights at the place, he said.

The GVMC official also said that at Jyothi Nagar, a rethink waste craft centre was established with baskets and other items made of natural fibres to generate revenue from the upcycled trash. For book lovers in the city, a book cafe was established at one of our RRR centres in Tagarapuvalasa with almost 200 books donated by the people. The concept was to make people connect with books as well as collection points of different kinds of waste. At KRM colony, the civic body is also conducting awareness programmes on ways to segregate dry and wet wastes at home through Your Home Garden nursery at the RRR Centre, he added.