Waste is being redefined at Sixth Avenue, Anna Nagar. The garbage generated in the area is being converted into organic manure at the new compost yard in the neighbourhood.
The manure is used for the plants at local parks including the Anna Nagar Tower Park.
Earlier, residents dumped domestic waste in street-corner bins. This waste, collected by conservancy workers, was later discarded in isolated open lands and waterbodies.
In the last few months, after the new compost yard was opened at Sixth Avenue, which comes under the Corporation Ward 99, things have changed.
“We are not accustomed to segregating bio and non-bio degradable waste. However, with regular awareness programmes conducted by civic officials, we are trying to separate waste into these categories in our houses,” said S. Vennila, a resident of Anna Nagar. Each household has to collect biodegradable waste, which mostly contains of kitchen waste in one bin and recyclable waste like plastic in another bin. Corporation workers collect biodegradable waste every day and non-biodegradable waste twice a week.
Every day, on an average, around 100 kg of biodegradable waste, including vegetable waste, is collected from around 160 streets. Anna Nagar, which comprises four Corporation wards, from 99 to 102, the total amount of domestic waste generated is more than 100 tonnes every day.
“After around 45 days of composting, we use the manure generated from the garbage in the neighbourhood parks. Non-biodegradable waste is sent to the compost yard in Arumbakkam,” said a Corporation official.
Subsequently, the sanitary staff further segregate the waste at a common point in the neighbourhood before the biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste are sent to compost yard. While the biodegradable waste is converted into manure, the non-biodegradable waste is crushed to be used along with bitumen to lay roads in the city.
To save time and costs, Corporation officials are using the space at the burial ground in Arumbakkam on Poonamallee High (PH) Road as compost yard. The existing compost yard facility for the neighbourhood is available only in Kodungaiyur in North Chennai, around 15km from Anna Nagar.
