As part of efforts to decentralise solid waste management in the city, volunteers of Transparent Chennai, a research organisation, will begin a survey on the composition and generation of garbage in ward 173 of Adyar zone next week.
In the run-up to this pilot project, volunteers of the organisation will start distributing dustbins and garbage bags to residents of the ward from Friday to encourage them to collect various types of waste.
Avni Rastogi, a researcher at Transparent Chennai, said the ward was chosen for the project as it comprises various socio-economic groups, including 12 slums. Some of the areas to be covered include R.K. Mutt Road, Srinivasapuram, and MRC Nagar.
The ward, comprising 14,443 households and 960 commercial establishments, was already mapped during the first phase of the project. “We plan to survey five per cent of the households in the ward. We will collect garbage from 750 households and 50 shops spread over nine days from November 21 onwards,” she said.
This will help volunteers study the type and volume of garbage generated by each resident, and the value of recyclable components of waste. The garbage will be weighed and segregated. On the disposal of collected garbage, Ms. Rastogi said they were working out modalities to hand over recyclable waste to non-governmental organisations.
The team will analyse the data and submit their findings and a proposal for a decentralised solid waste management system, such as a biomethanation plant, and segregation sheds by January to the Chennai Corporation.
“We also plan to develop a tool kit if the civic body wants to adopt the model in other wards,” Ms. Rastogi added.
