A cracker of a campaign to encourage residents to hand over only segregated, dry waste

A digital board at Whites Road, Royapettah with a message on how to dispose cracker waste. After every major festival, conservancy workers in Chennai have their hands full. With piles of hazardous cracker waste, paper boxes, and plastic covers used for wrapping, Deepavali would probably take the cake in the amount of mixed waste left on city roads and in residential areas. And when rains enter the equation, segregation becomes doubly challenging for the human hands dealing with waste.As in the previous year, waste management companies and environment-conscious groups demand that only segregated waste, with the cracker waste a separate collection, be handed over. Various campaigns towards this end had been running across the city. Sumeet Elko, the waste management company engaged by Greater Chennai Corporation for various zones, has been running digital flicker boards at busy junctions educating the public to not mix cracker waste with other household waste. They have put up flex boards outside most cracker shops, listing the “do’s and don’ts”. Its poster in bold letters reads: “A little care goes a long way for our workers.”In the last few days, awareness drives to celebrate an eco-friendly festival were conducted at Srinivasapuram in Foreshore Estate and in residential areas of Akkarai.Quick FactsTimings to burst crackers: Between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. on DeepavaliHelpline numbers of waste management companies: Renvion - 18008335656 and Sumeet Elko - 89255 22069Renvion Solutions Pvt Ltd (part of Ramky Group), which is responsible for managing waste in zones 1,2,3,5,6 and 7, has an audio message playing these days, reminding people to give the cracker waste separately. The separate collection plan for Deepavali includes a day before and after the festival.Renvion is inviting all those celebrating the festival to show how they are segregating Deepavali waste. Capture it in a photo or video and share it on social media, tagging @renvionofficial and #DiwaliSortedHai. The three best entries will stand a chance to win exciting prices. Social media campaigns by various groups remind us that Deepavali and rain are nothing new for Chennaiites, but let’s not get the crackers to soak in the showers.Spreco’s campaign reads, “Diwali + rain? A familiar combo! But let’s not let the cracker waste get caught in the showers. Keep it segregated, dry and ready for collection!” The enterprise is collecting cracker waste from gated communities in OMR and Tambaram.Test your knowledgeThooimai Mission is running a fun and interactive Deepavali Waste Segregation Challenge. Play this game digitally to test your knowledge about where every waste item belongs. Visit https://digitalplayground3.github.io/bin_me_if_u_can/ Published - November 07, 2026 06:18 pm IST