Novel plan to convert beedi leaf waste into manure

From April 15, conservancy workers not to accept beedi leaf waste from people

Tirunelveli Corporation, which has been struggling for decades in dealing with beedi leaf waste, has come out with a novel idea for collecting it from beedi rollers and converting it into manure.

Since beedi rolling is a predominant activity in Melapalayam area, in which several thousand women are involved, around 10 beedi rolling companies, all having their offices at Melapalayam, are supplying beedi leaves and tobacco to these labourers for making beedis. Consequently, Melapalayam has become a major producer of beedi leaf waste and the civic body is struggling to separate this waste from household waste and convert it into manure.

Recently, Corporation Commissioner S. Sivasubramanian had a meeting with beedi manufacturing company owners on beedi leaf waste management.

Since the Solid Waste Management Act, 2016, requires the individuals producing the waste to segregate it as degradable and nondegradable at source and hand them over to the conservancy workers, Mr. Sivasubramanian asked the beedi manufacturing unit owners to collect beedi leaf waste while getting the beedis from workers.

“The beedi manufacturing companies have been asked to give the rollers reusable bags to keep beedi leaf waste so that it can easily be handed over to the manufacturers while the rolled beedis are returned to the companies. On getting the beedi leaf waste from the rollers, the companies should hand it over to the Corporation employees to convert it into manure,” Mr. Sivasubramanian said.

He added that Corporation conservancy workers would not accept beedi leaf waste from April 15 while collecting waste from the public.

“Our personnel will not collect the beedi leaf waste from the rollers from April 15 as it should be handed over only to the manufacturing companies which, in turn, will forward it to the Corporation dump for converting it into manure. The companies which dare to defy this instruction and allow their workers to dump the waste along the streets will have to face serious consequences,” Mr. Sivasubramanian added.