Civic body to establish dry waste incineration plant at ₹ 1.60 crore

Tender has been floated, says Corporation Commissioner

Garbage dumped on the road at Bankar Thottam in Erode.

As part of its plan to create ‘zero per cent garbage city’ by the year end, the Corporation has proposed to establish dry waste incineration plant at a cost of ₹ 1.60 crore at Vairapalayam to convert it into fly ash.

About 250 tonnes of municipal solid waste is generated in the city that was earlier dumped at compost yards at Vendipalayam and Vairapalayam.

After the city was selected under the Smart City Mission, the civic body planned to make it free of garbage and started removing dustbins in public places and improved door-to-door garbage collection. Also, it had established 19 micro compost centres at ₹ 13.58 crore while the legacy waste at the two yards were bio-mined at ₹ 37.25 crore.

Under Phase II, the civic body proposed more micro compost centres at ₹ 5.56 crore so that the municipal waste generated in each area was processed at the centres and the fertilizers distributed to the people free of cost.

As part of effective solid waste management, the civic body has proposed to establish the plant with 25 tonne capacity a day where dry waste will be burnt at 1,000 degrees Celsius. The process produces pure carbon ash, which is not harmful to environment, and the end product can be used in manufacturing bricks and making construction materials.

Corporation Commissioner M. Elangovan told

The Hindu about 40% of the total garbage generated in the city every day was dry waste and the process of converting the waste into carbon was also environment friendly.

He said that tender had been floated and the successful bidder should design, build and operate the plant for three years and transfer the plant to the Corporation.