The main Resource Recovery Centre (RRC) of Zone 12 (Alandur) bustles with the kind of activity that one wouldn’t associate with facilities of this kind. With clothes that had earlier been dropped at the minor resource resource facilities across the zone, two women staff make bags, floor mats, and money purses. They have been appointed by Zone 12 to bring value to discards.
A Zone 12 official says that two men have been appointed for repairing old and torn bags, slippers and shoes. After washing and drying the bags, the zips are replaced and a new sheet of cloth in stitched into the interior of the bags. The bags are distributed free of cost to students studying in schools run by GCC that are found in areas coming under Zone 12, the official points out.
The repaired and the polished footwear are sold to the members of the public every week at the Friday Market at Pallavaram, and they are usually priced between ₹30 and ₹50.
More than 160 tonnes of garbage is generated every day in the Alandur Zone. More than two lakh people live in areas coming under the jurisdiction of Zone 12.
A variety of discarded plastics, thermocol, tyres, slippers, and coir beds are transported to the main RRC located diagonally opposite Zone 12 office. Various types of plastic waste are sent to factories and vendors.
Some discards are sold to recyclers.
The Airports Authority of India, Chennai, as part of a Corporate Social Responsibility exercise, has decided to fund the establishment of an incinerator plant. The plant will be set up soon at the Kannan Colony Burial Ground. The ash produced from the plant will be used to manufacture inter-locking and fly-ash blocks, officials say.
“Through these initiatives, we have prevented more than 50 per cent of the waste from going to the the dumping round in Perungudi,” they say. “Besides, we collect the skins of lemon, sweet lime and other citrus fruits and make lemon peel powder, which is in great demand among beauty parlours. We also make lemon dish washer detergent powder. The lemon dish washer detergent powder is distributed to the staff at ‘Amma’ canteens to wash and clean the utensils.”
In Zone 1( Thiruvottiyur) of Greater Chennai Corporation, tailors as well as specialised tailors from self-help groups make cloth bags based on the clothes making it to the resource recovery centres. The cloth bags are used to distribute manure to farmers and residents. The cloth bags are sold for ₹2 and ₹3 a piece.
In addition, they repair old and torn school bags that can be re-used, officials point out.
After collecting the bags from the residents, the bags are washed and dried. The staff repair and fix the broken zips in the bags, stitch torn parts (interior and exterior) and add paint to impart a new look to them. The bags are distributed to students of schools run by the Corporation.
In addition, we repair and polish old and torn footwear. The refurbished footwear are distributed free of cost to poor school students and non-governmental organisations. We create awareness among the residents and farmers on why they should use paper, jute and cloth bags.
