Young volunteers in Himachal's Kasol lead efforts to tackle waste, keeping mountains clean

A group of young volunteers in Himachal Pradesh's popular tourist destination Kasol is taking the Swachh Bharat mission beyond cleanliness drives, focusing on waste segregation, recycling and responsible waste management to protect the region's fragile mountain environment.

A group of young volunteers in Himachal Pradesh's popular tourist destination Kasol is taking the Swachh Bharat mission beyond cleanliness drives, focusing on waste segregation, recycling and responsible waste management to protect the region's fragile mountain environment. Led by social worker Nisha Sharma, the initiative has been working for several years to clean Kasol and nearby trekking routes. Along with collecting litter, the team conducts awareness campaigns to encourage residents, businesses and visitors to segregate wet and dry waste and adopt responsible disposal practices.

"People need to have proper knowledge about waste management. We have organised awareness camps and workshops, bringing people together and explaining how waste segregation can be done. I would like more and more young people to join us. The more youth participate, the easier it will be to make the previous generation understand why waste management is important," Sharma said. The initiative brings together young people from different backgrounds, including working professionals and students, who volunteer their time to keep their surroundings clean. Their efforts go beyond collecting waste, with a focus on ensuring that it reaches appropriate channels for processing and recycling.

Social worker Neeraj Sharma said improper waste disposal poses serious environmental and public health risks, particularly in ecologically sensitive mountain regions. "When waste accumulates at dumping sites, leachate can seep into the ground and contaminate groundwater. Burning waste can also release harmful substances such as dioxins, which are associated with respiratory problems. Our effort is to prevent waste from polluting the environment and ensure that it is managed through proper channels, with a focus on recycling and the circular economy," he said.

An important part of the initiative is a waste processing plant established in the area, where collected garbage is segregated into wet and dry waste. While organic waste is processed for composting, materials such as plastic, glass and metal are separated, compressed using machines and sent to different vendors for recycling. Shubham, the plant supervisor, explained how the facility manages the collected waste.

"All the waste collected in Kasol is brought to our plant. We separate the wet waste and process it for composting. The dry waste is segregated by workers into different categories. We then use machines to compress and bale the material before sending it to different vendors for recycling," he said. The initiative highlights the growing role of youth in addressing environmental challenges through community participation and practical solutions. In a region where tourism, trekking and outdoor activities bring a steady flow of visitors, effective waste management is particularly important to protect the natural surroundings.

By combining volunteer-led cleanliness drives, public awareness and scientific waste processing, the young people of Kasol are demonstrating how local action can contribute to a cleaner and more sustainable mountain environment. (ANI)