Suiro hooks are a simple and effective instrument used to segregate soft plastics at the household level in Nepalese municipalities like Bharatpur and Hetauda.
- Description: A suiro hook is a 1-to-1.5-foot
J-shaped metal piece, typically made of galvanized steel wire due to
its low cost and ductile nature. It has a small hole on one end and a
barbed edge on the other.
- Usage: Residents hang the hook from its eye
and attach plastic on its barbed end. They are conveniently hung in or
near kitchens, making it easy to clean and store plastics.
- Benefits:
- Provides a convenient way for residents to
store recyclable plastics.
- Prevents soft plastics from blowing away,
thereby mitigating littering and keeping drains clear.
- Implementation:
- The programs involving suiro hooks were piloted
with financial support from local governments (Hetauda, Bharatpur) and
international partners.
- Suiro hooks were distributed freely to
communities through Tole Lane Organizations (TLOs), women's groups,
NGOs, and private operators.
- The suiro hook became a symbol for recycling.
- Community groups, often women's groups and TLOs,
collected the segregated plastics on a bimonthly to monthly basis and
sold them to municipalities or plastic processors.
- Impact:
- Between 2003 and 2019, 43,000 suiro hooks were
distributed in Bharatpur and 20,000 in Hetauda.
- The initiative collected significant amounts of
plastic (e.g., 2 tons per month in Bharatpur) and reduced open dumping
and improved drainage and soil conditions.
0 Comments