India, April 15 -- What starts as an act of service to fellow residents through free community kitchens, or "Bhandaras", is ironically harming public health and well-being, resulting in pollution, toxic air, and environmental degradation. Residents and public health and sustainable waste management advocates warned. From upscale MG Road to residential neighbourhoods like Sector 23A, unchecked dumping and open burning of waste from such events have become a growing concern, they added.

In a recent incident in Sector 23A, a bhandara left behind heaps of leftover food, plastic and thermocol plates, and disposable cutlery, which were dumped in an open plot and later set on fire. The act triggered outrage among residents and public health exp...