Municipalities in the southern suburbs have initiated stringent measures aimed at reducing the amount of waste reaching landfills. Segregation of waste at source is important for the successful waste management, according to an official from Municipal Administration Department. The Department has entered into an agreement with Tamil Nadu Cements Corporation Limited (TANCEM) whereby plastic waste will be sent to TANCEM on a weekly basis.
Tambaram and Anakaputhur municipalities have started sending plastics as raw material to a cement factory in Ariyalur. These municipalities have implemented source segregation successfully. Food, vegetable, kitchen and garden waste are sent to micro-composting units; recyclable materials are sold to scarp dealers and the proceeds are being shared with the workers engaged in the job. Plastics are sent to a common store, from where it is sent to a cement factory. The costs of sending the waste is borne by respective municipalities, says an official.
Tambaram Municipal Commissioner, K. Krishnamurthy says, “people should be educated on the need to maintain clean surroundings.” The municipality has implemented a project to prepare compost from wet waste in residential areas.
Residents and ‘Kalyan Mantaps’ in the town have been asked to implement vermi-composting methods in their backyards. Commercial establishments and hotels that generate huge quantities of wet waste have been asked to implement bio-gas plants on their premises. Schoolchildren have been asked to use biodegradable plastic carrybags from their home for the effective disposal of plastic waste, he said. So far, Tambaram and Anakaputhur municipalities have sent nine tonnes of segregated plastic waste to the factory. Upon successful implementation, other municipalities and town panchayats will follow these methods of waste disposal soon, municipal administration sources said.
