The biomining project at Ariyamangalam dump yard here has begun, with machines to segregate the waste mobilised at the site.
The process, which would take nearly two years to clear the accumulated garbage in the sprawling dump, officials said.
Speaking to The Hindu , S. Sivasubramanian, Corporation Commissioner said the project, costing ₹49 crore involved separating the waste into usable, recyclable, debris and non-recyclable items, processing them and transporting the by-products.
For instance, plastics would be sold to cement companies to be used as fuel for cement kilns. Hyderabad and Gujarat-based manufacturers would receive the plastics from Ariyamangalam. The work would be monitored regularly.
An Erode-based company, which was executing the project, had set up 30 conveyors and trommel machines in different parts of the 48-acre dump yard along with filters. Garbage brought by earthmovers was dumped onto the conveyor belts, which passed through multi-stage filters and separated into stones, combustible and plastic waste.
A representative of the contractor estimated the total waste accumulated at the dump yard as 7.60 lakh cubic metres. “We started work late last month and are aiming to clear at least 900-1,000 cubic metres of waste per day. We will return the land as clean as a playground within two years.”
Stones and debris could be transported to form roads or fill up low-lying areas. The processed manure could also be given to farmers for free, he added.
