‘Waste segregation is key’ — this was the take-home message from a series of presentations made by non-profit organisations involved in solid waste management at the recently concluded event organised by artists group Shilpataru.
The organisations also met several government officials, including Local Administration Department director P.T. Rudra Goud and Municipal Commissioner R. Chandirasekaran, and discussed ideas on tackling the garbage problem.
The waste generated in the country comprises 50 per cent organic waste and 35 per cent recyclable products, said Niranjan Kumar from Auroville-based EcoPro. If waste is properly segregated at source, only 13 per cent needs to go to the landfill, he said.
Alternatives to incineration
The experts also discussed the Puducherry government’s plans to install an incinerator.
Mr. Kumar felt that as household and municipality waste in the country is of low calorific value, an incinerator might not be the ideal solution. Its installation would create issues with clearances from pollution control agencies, and require vast amount of energy to operate. EcoPro has been executing a joint Indo-French government waste management pilot project in Karaikal with the municipality since 2013. “Composting is an integral solution for solid waste management in India as the proportion of kitchen waste is higher here,” said Mr. Kumar.
Sunil Bhondge of Greeny said that an incinerator could be used for medical waste. However, it would not be needed if solid waste is segregated into dry and wet waste. It has been two years since Greeny implemented a successful project in the pilgrimage city of Alandi in Maharashtra , where they have been turning wet waste into compost for farmers. They have also carried out a project in Shirdi for the past few months. In both places, they have been helping the government authorities to segregate waste, monitoring the system, and bridging the gap between municipality and the people.
Mr. Bhondge said his organisation would assess the requirements and conduct a feasibility study in Puducherry on best methods which would be given to the Puducherry government. He appreciated the interest shown by government officials in waste management measures. Mr. Bhondge suggested that the government could consider setting up plants for recycling plastic. The wet waste can be turned into wood pellets, which is used as fuel, he said.
Ragupathy from Hand-in-Hand, which runs a successful solid waste management project in Mamallapuram, said that solid waste management should also include food waste management from hotels and restaurants. He suggested a biomethanation plant if the volume is large.
While appreciating the work done by NGOs in different places in the country, R. Chandirasekaran, Commissioner, Puducherry Muncipality, said that Puducherry needs macro-level solutions. He called for the public to cooperate in waste management, and said there was need for an awareness drive.
He said that the Puducherry Urban Development Agency had called for tenders from eligible firms for the collection and transportation of solid waste. K. Coumarane, Officer at the Puducherry Muncipality, said that waste can be segregated at source if there is a solution to process it.
“If waste is properly segregated at source, only 13 per cent needs to go to the landfill”
