Outside a Corporation unit office, on the pavement of South Avenue in Thiruvanmiyur, there is something to cause passersby to break step. A micro material recovery facility parked on the pavement is sufficiently visual to pique anybody’s curiosity.
Around a month ago, the facility was introduced at this spot to enable people living and working nearby to drop various categories of recyclable waste. The initiative was an experiment, and based on its outcome, a decision was going to be taken on whether to take it to certain other parts of the south region.
“The initiative is the brainchild of our Regional Deputy Commissioner (South) Alby John. The facility is being used very well by people, signalling the initiative's success. It is heartening to note that besides residents, vendors on South Avenue have been using the facility,” says G. Tamilselvan, zonal office — Adyar Zone.
On the thinking that went into the facility, Alby says, “Most people have a rather simplistic notion of recyclable waste management. For them, it is just plastics and paper. The micro material recovery facility was designed in such a manner that they would be automatically taken through six streams of recyclable waste management. Highly visual, the instructions on what goes where are easy to follow.”
The facility is boxy. There are compartments within the two rectangular boxes. Every compartment has instructions in Tamil, accompanied by corresponding images to make comprehension easier. All in all, it looks like a child's picture book. The six compartments are meant to collect plastic, paper, leather, iron, glass and used cloth items. Part of every compartment, a wire mesh enables people to know what items have been placed inside.
“The idea is to make it so simple that even those with the least bit of understanding about waste management should be able to understand what it is all about. The facility was designed in-house. As an idea, it is not unique. As far as I know, similar exercises have been carried out in Bengaluru and Thiruvananthapuram. We are however customising the boxes,” says Alby.
What are the future plans for the initiative?
“Soon, we will be setting up these facilities in six locations, those marked by a heavy presence of commercial establishments. The ultimate objective is to take the initiative to 57 wards in the south region, with each ward receiving one micro material recovery facility,” says Alby.
So, if everything goes according to plans, the initiative can be expected to be spread across Valasarawakkam, Alandur, Perungudi, Adyar and Sholinganallur zones.
“We won't be following a one-size-fits-all design. The material recovery facility will be redesigned keeping the realities of a ward in mind. If the volume of recyclable waste collected in a locality is lower in one ward, we will go in for a smaller facility there. Similarly, greater the use, bigger the facility.”
Alby believes the system comes with flexibility. “Dry recyclable waste won’t emit any smell, and so, residents are not under pressure to dispose of it every day. They can accumulate it over a period of ten days, and when they find the time, drop it in the relevant compartments at a micro material recovery facility.”
