The Hindu 26.12.2014
Waste management survey reveals lack of direction
Civic body has around 2,300 bins across the city
A study conducted in all the 100 wards on the waste management system has revealed that Coimbatore has several positive factors such as good infrastructure in number of lorries and transit stations, positive attitude of the workers, and a big minus as well – lack of policy or direction.
Conducted by the Clean Cities Foundation, a company, following a contract with the civic body, the study says that the primary collection system, placement of bins, processing and transporting the waste are part of the minus points, as it appears that very little thought has gone into it.
The civic body has around 2,300 bins across the city in 0.3, 0.5, one and two tonne capacity, taking the total capacity to 2,358 tonnes. In volume it works to around 5,000 lakh litre. But the holding capacity of the bins is not fully tapped as members of the public and even conservancy workers dump mixed waste – wet and different types of dry waste. The gross underutilisation results in demand for more bins, the Foundation says and adds that in its study it found that a 6.6 litre bin in the push cart of a conservancy worker took only 1.3 litre inorganic waste and 1.6 litre inorganic (dry) waste.
If segregation of waste at source is practised, it will result in effective utilisation of bins. Plus, if workers sell different types of dry waste – there are around 14 – to recyclers and scrap traders they get to make little money and that incentivises them to collect segregated waste at door steps.
The Foundation has even identified recyclers in its survey and in the wards it carried out the waste management system on an experimental basis, it managed to help the workers earn more. In fact, the workers will be able to sell everything, including human hair, except napkins and diapers.
The two along with organic (wet) waste alone should go to the compost yard, where it will get processed into manure, the study has suggested.
But to push this through, the Corporation needs to have policy and a well-thought out execution plan, as it will also gain financially, as the quantity of waste going to the Vellalore dump yard will come down and this will result in savings in fuel, it adds.
Commissioner K. Vijayakarthikeyan says that the Clean Cities Campaign proposed to be conducted in February is part of this effort and the city will soon improve its waste collection process.
