Garbage washed ashore at the Marina Beach. Image taken on December 1.
| Photo Credit: RAGU R
Greater Chennai Corporation recently deployed an army of workers to clear more than 7,000 metric tonnes of garbage after Cyclone Fengal made landfall on December 1. Some volunteer groups are still combing the sands of the beaches for plastic waste.
Not a surprise as heavy rains and strong winds always pose an additional challenge to the city administration as the percentage of garbage generated increases, largely due to organic waste from fallen trees.
As close to 60 percent of waste generated in Chennai is biodegradable, much of the city’s solid waste problems can be solved if this segment is managed effectively. But that is easier said than done.
Composting units have their job cut out as high humidity level and other environmental factors delay organic matter from decomposing leading to a foul smell. There is also the concern of rainwater seeping into the composting units that hinders the process further.
Certain zonal officers The Hindu spoke to say the composting units witness minimal activity as segregation and drying are difficult during rainy season.
Focus on bio CNG
The superintending engineer, Solid Waste Management, GCC, says since bio CNG (compressed natural gas) plants started functioning in the city from this year dependence on micro composting centres (MCC) has reduced. Currently, there are two bio CNG systems functioning in Madhavaram and Chetpet, and plans are on to open five more at other localities in the city.
“The civic body has closed the MCC attached to burial grounds, so the bio CNG systems are taking up much of the load of the organic waste generated in the city,” says the superintending engineer.
The bio-CNG system in Chetpet, for instance, has a capacity to take 100-120 tonnes of organic waste generated from the city households, markets and bulk waste generators. But these units also have a difficult time during monsoon.
Priorities change during heavy rains and cyclone for GCC partners handling the city’s waste. “We do not get waste on time,” says Manikandan M., plant manager, Srinivas Waste Management Services Private Limited, an empanelled vendor of GCC handling the bio CNG plant in Chetpet.
Citing the example of Cyclone Fengal, he says focus was on clearing tree debris from the road so waste gets accumulated at source and starts decaying. “First in, first out is the model that needs to be followed when handling organic waste,” he says.
“For any waste management system to function effectively, garbage workers from the informal sector must be recognised”
Besides the waste management company directly collecting waste from source, the plant on an average receives 40-50 tonnes of waste from certain zones of GCC.
“But more than 30% of waste that we get is mixed, so we run it through a “depacker machine” to separate organic waste from the rest that is sent to the landfills,” says the plant manager adding that presence of foreign bodies such as spoons affects production and damages the machine.
Managing waste locally
Solid waste processing by decentralised methods is cost-effective and more sustainable as well.
Geo Damin, a solid waste management researcher with Poovulagin Nanbargal, says currently most of the projects being discussed or undertaken in Chennai are centralised projects, whether it is incinerator or bio CNG, where logistic and emission-related issues need to be factored in.
“We need better infrastructure to make solid waste management work effectively. The existing infrastructure in the city also needs to be utilised well,” says the researcher.
Emphasising segregation of waste at source, Geo says, the civic body must set new targets to achieve 100 percent of this from households and commercial establishments. “To discourage use of single use plastics, which end up in our seas, we should focus on enforcement of the ban on single-use plastic through hefty fines,” he adds.
“For any waste management system to function effectively, garbage workers from the informal sector must be recognised,” says the researcher.
Published – December 09, 2024 10:49 am IST
