If you are living in an apartment or an owner of restaurant, commercial establishment, hospital or a big establishment that generates waste in bulk, well, gear up to manage the waste that you generate.
The Coimbatore Corporation, based on the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, has asked the bulk waste generators to manage their waste. “The Corporation has identified over 700 such bulk waste generators and issued notices to over 400 establishments to manage their waste,” says an officer overseeing waste management in the city.
The ‘Guide Book for Urban Local Bodies on Bulk Solid Waste Generator’s Compliance of Solid Waste Management Rules 2016’ says the bulk waste generators also include Central and State governments’ establishments, local bodies, private companies, nursing homes, schools, colleges, markets, places of worship and a few more that generate more than 100 kg waste a day.
The bulk waste generators will have to segregate the waste into bio-degradable (wet waste), non-biodegradable (dry waste) and domestic hazardous waste in suitable bins.
The generators will have to then process the wet waste on their premises and develop a system to reuse the product of the process – compost or biogas.
The generators can, however, handover the dry waste to the urban local body, in this case the Coimbatore Corproation, and domestic hazardous waste to authorised waste collectors.
After detailing how used sanitary napkins, garden waste and e-waste are to be disposed of, the Guide Book says that the urban local body should process them as per rules.
The officer says that the Guide Book has authorised local bodies to identify bulk waste generators and issue notices to them seeking compliance. It has also asked the local bodies to assist the generators in processing the waste and also penalise, where necessary.
Citing the provisions, the officer says that the Corporation aims at securing the cooperation of the generators and if push comes to show, it will issue notices to the generators seeking compliance.
Of those to whom the Corporation has issued notices, a few restaurants and hospitals have started processing the waste. A few more, including apartments, are in the process of erecting the machinery.
The officer adds that the civic body is also in the process of meeting the bulk waste generators to explain their roles and responsibilities and then act against them if they fail to comply.
