“Waste management cannot be thought of as a fringe initiative towards the end of construction. It needs to be given the emphasis it deserves right in the planning stage. A change in mindset is required, where developers actively integrate waste management practices during every stage of the project,” said Supriya Ambavane, Vice President – Head Design, Tata Realty and Infrastructure Ltd.
As the world celebrated Environment Day last week, we spoke to Supriya about the role of developers in creating a sustainable environment.
Here are the excerpts.
The real estate sector is one of the largest contributors to waste generation. What are your views on this?
The real estate industry is one of the largest contributors to the GDP of our country, leading to massive generation of employment, productive land use, and has a positive impact on the economic development of the country. However, real estate developers must acknowledge their responsibility towards the environment and adopt Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG) as a part of their core business. Given the pandemic situation, it is more imperative than ever before for the industry to implement solutions that enable the effective use of resources.
We take sustainability and our impact on the environment very seriously. Tata Realty leads the country in being the greenest developer as all our residential and commercial buildings are certified green. This means that waste generated in our projects is at a minimum and is effectively reduced, reused, or recycled – both during construction and operation.
Whose responsibility is it to manage the waste?
We all benefit from the resources that nature provides, and it is everyone’s responsibility to preserve the environment. Hence, we believe that waste management in real estate is a collective responsibility of both developers and end-users during different stages of the project. The developer works with the municipal authorities to put in infrastructure and other facilities that help the project conserve water and power to reduce the load on the city infrastructure. However, the end user’s responsibilities are to run and maintain the supporting infrastructure to manage the waste.
What role can real estate developers play in this regard?
Waste management cannot be thought of as a fringe initiative towards the end of construction. It needs to be given the emphasis it deserves right in the planning stage. A change in mindset is required, where developers actively integrate waste management practices during every stage of the project.
For instance, during construction, the developer can manage the waste generated on-site in many ways. These include:
- Using construction debris as a landfill
- Controlling emission from diesel generators using Chakra Shield (PM Filters). PM 2.5 and PM 10 are controlled through filters, which burn the carbon content and generate CO2 as a by-product.
The developers can build an infrastructure that helps recycle, reduce waste, and save energy even after the project handover to the residents. These measures include installation of solar PV panels and solar streetlights, organic waste composter for using compost in the landscape, sewage treatment plans for flushing and landscape. A rainwater harvesting pit can be built to recharge water, and low-flow fittings can be installed to conserve water. Lastly, solar heaters can be installed to heat the water and save energy.
Also Read: “Green Building Costs Just 10-12% Higher Than Conventional Ones”
Are there some rules that govern resident welfare associations when it comes to waste?
Environmental committee rules and local municipal laws govern waste segregation and disposal. According to these rules, organic waste is to be treated at the project site whereas another recyclable waste like glass, paper and metal has to be collected and recycled by authorised government agencies. E-Waste is also collected and treated by a government recognised agency.
As a developer, what are you doing to protect the environment?
We ensure that the sustainability aspect is addressed throughout the lifetime of our projects, and this means we are implementing waste management practices at every stage. In the construction phase, we use the debris as a landfill and control emission from DGs by using Chakra Shield.
We also integrate several waste-management features that make use of solar panels and heaters, organic waste composter, sewage treatment plans, rainwater harvesting pit to conserve our resources. Apart from this, we also undertake tree plantation drives to reduce dust & noise pollution and make use of herb/vegetable gardens to encourage people to grow their produce.
Ecosystem restoration is another focus area, and we have restored ponds and biological habitats in our projects to enhance our neighbourhoods and benefit our communities. For instance, at Santorini, Chennai, a small lake has been developed as a rainwater harvesting feature to enhance water storage for the community.
Similarly, at New Haven Ribbon Walk in Chennai, the project management team revived a dried-up pond that had become a waste accumulator causing decay and polluting the neighbourhood.