World Environment Day on Thursday was award time for Sharada Vaidya of the Women Environment Protection Committee (WEPCO). The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) inducted the NGO into its prestigious Global 500 Roll of Honour and the World Wildlife Fund gave it the Abraham Conservation Award.

Sharada, who launched a model community garbage management system in Patan, is taking it all in stride. "We are not affected by awards, donors or change in governments," she says. "Whatever happens, our work will go on."

Everyone grouses about Kathmandu's garbage, but few do anything about it. Sharada is among the very few who decided to set up WEPCO in 1992 with a handful of friends to reduce, reuse and recycle Kathmandu's household waste. "We used to blame the government, the municipality-everyone but ourselves," she recalls.

Clad in green saris, WEPCO women went around collecting waste and advising Kupondol residents to separate their garbage. Initially, they were met with derision. People said it was the municipality's job, why are you getting your hands dirty? But slowly, the residents started taking notice and then they began actively cooperating and sorting the garbage.

Today, WEPCO collects garbage from 3,000 households in Patan, with some charge. It recycles paper waste into office files, envelopes, boxes, wrapping paper and penholders in its own paper plant. A compost site was built in 1996 to produce fertiliser from organic waste. And it runs its collection out of the revenue generated from sales of fertiliser and recycled paper products.

Nearly 65 percent of valley waste is organic, and WEPCO has been trying tell households that garbage is valuable stuff. Sharada's office overlooks the Bagmati, and the smell reminds visitors of the enormous work that lies ahead. WEPCO is now planning to turn a stretch along the Bagmati called UN Park into a sanctuary.