Homes in the city have started to sell waste for a price. Starting Monday, residents of some roads in Perambur opted to sell their waste including vegetable waste for Rs.2 per kg. This has been facilitated by NGOs with the support of the Chennai Corporation. Members of the NGOs, carrying weighing machines, purchased waste at the doorstep of residents in some stretches of Perambur. The members of the NGOs have planned to procure waste from residents and hand over money on the spot.
The sale of waste on Monday covered just a few streets, yet it is an indication of the path the Chennai Corporation will take in the future. A senior official of the Chennai Corporation said the civic body has decided to intensify source segregation to cope with the garbage problem.
The civic body has accepted proposals from the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre for installation of biogas plants by promoting source segregation. It is also planning to put in place a system for rewarding residents who support source segregation with cash amounts on a periodic basis. Some of the top contributors to source segregation will be selected based on a lucky draw for the cash award to be announced periodically. This will motivate residents to contribute to source segregation, the official said.
The city will soon be covered by more NGOs and a variety of such plants to promote source segregation.