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Solid Waste Management

Segregation of waste at source must from June

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The Times of India        15.05.2017  

Segregation of waste at source must from June

| Updated: May 15, 2017, 12.31 AM IST
Madurai: Come June, a new waste management system will come into force in the city, making it mandatory for residents to segregate garbage at source before it is collected by corporation workers.

The Madurai Corporation will start collecting waste material segregated into biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste from June 1. The corporation will also collect a fee ranging between Rs 10 and Rs 30,000 per month from residents, shops and commercial establishments as per the by-laws framed by the civic body under the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016.

Commissioner Sandeep Nanduri, while taking to reporters on the sideline of Happy Street, said that they will start collecting segregated waste by June 1. Starting June 5, segregation at source will become mandatory. "Waste will be collected only if it is segregated into biodegradable and non-biodegradable material. There is nothing waste. The biodegradable waste can be used for various purposes, including production of biogas, electricity and fertilizers," he said.

The by-laws for waste segregation framed before April were kept for public viewing for a week's time from April 1. According to it, a fine will be imposed for not segregating wastes and also dumping waste in open areas, roadsides or waterbodies. The fine amount will range between Rs 100 and Rs 15, 000 according to the nature of the waste and those found violating the rules.

Earlier, addressing people during the event, Sandeep Nanduri urged them not to use plastic bags, which pollute the environment. He also advised residents to use water judiciously. "At this time of water crisis, the corporation with the help of the state government has been taking all possible steps to maintain water supply. I want you to conserve water and use it judiciously," he said.
 

Where waste is turned into wealth

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The Hindu         03.05.2017  

Where waste is turned into wealth

Clean mission:A material recovery facility set up by Green Worms at West Hill.S. Ramesh Kurup  

Green Worms runs material recovery facilities and recycling plant

Did you know that the empty pet bottles that you throw away come back to you in the form of clothes? That the aluminium foils and Chinese cloth bags that you get from the grocery shops these days are actually plastic?

For those who think waste management is all about packing off their non-biodegradable waste in a truck, a visit to the material recovery facility and plastic recycling plant run by Green Worms at West Hill in the city will be an eye-opener.

Green Worms, an organisation that works in the waste management sector in Kozhikode, started the facility just five months ago as the next step in their mission for a clean State. Founded by social entrepreneur Jabir Karat, Green Worms has been focussing on waste-free events for a few years, at the same time setting up recycling facility in some parts of the district.

At present, Green Worms runs two material recovery facilities near the West Hill railway station where waste materials undergo a long process before they are either recycled or shipped off to recycling facilities in other parts of the country. Around 30 people work in the units, while there are teams of around five employees each in nine hospitals in the city to collect and segregate the non-biodegradable medical waste.

Plastic bags

The conventional plastic bags first go through a de-dusting machine before they are manually segregated into those that can be and cannot be recycled. “The ones with multilayer packing and lamination cannot be recycled. So we shred them to be used in the construction of roads. We supply the shredded plastic to Green Kerala Mission as well as the Uralungal Labour Contractors’ Cooperative Society,” said Mr. Karat.

The recyclable plastic is melted at high temperature and converted into plastic lumps that are in high demand for manufacture of pipes for agriculture.

Green Worms collect their raw materials from around 80 residents’ associations in the district, nine hospitals in the city, a few apartment complexes and panchayats. The plastic bottles are sub-segregated on the basis of colour and quality, crushed and sent to recycling plants in Gujarat, from where they come out as polyester yarn. Waste rexins often substitute coal in the cement kilns as fuel.

However, recycling e-waste is the most complicated affair, said Mr. Karat. “The scrap dealers often discard the plastic after extracting metal parts from e-waste. They have no other option,” he said.

“But, recycling is not the simplest answer to the waste management woes of Kerala, reduction is,” added Mr. Karat.

 

Medical waste adds to trash woes in Karnataka

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The New Indian Express        29.04.2017 

Medical waste adds to trash woes in Karnataka

Biomedical waste.

BENGALURU: Meridian Medical Centre in Frazer Town was recently charged with dumping biomedical waste in Avalahalli Lake at JP Nagar 6th Phase. Injection bottles, blood and urine samples and blood-stained gloves were found in the waste. Bills from the centre found in the waste did the centre in and Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike fined it Rs 1 lakh.

Hospitals in the state generate close to 54 tonnes
of biomedical waste per day | JITHENDRA M

Meridian denied the charges saying it gives its waste to a centre in HRBR Layout.

Whoever is at fault, the case is, in fact, a pointer to the larger issue.

It is not unusual to find hazardous medical waste mixed with common solid waste in the city. One of the reasons for it could be the inadequate number of medical waste treatment plants in the city.

There are 1,484 healthcare facilities in Bengaluru, according to the Fire Department. But there are only three biomedical waste treatment plants in the city - Medicare Environmental Management Pvt Ltd, Maridi Eco Industries and Anu Autoclave. The plants can hardly cope with the quantum of waste.


The situation in the rest of the state is no better.

Karnataka generates 54 tonnes of biomedical waste per day from 26,724 healthcare establishments with a total of 1.71 lakh beds. But there are only 25 biomedical waste treatment plants in the state. The silver lining is that five more are in the pipeline. The treatment plants charge hospitals on per-bed basis.

According to Biomedical Waste Management Rules 2016, all clinical establishments like hospitals, nursing homes, blood banks, clinics, veterinary centres, pathological laboratories, research and educational institutions, first aid rooms of schools and forensic and research laboratories are required to abide by the rules.

Karnataka generates 54 tonnes of biomedical waste per day from 26,724 healthcare establishments with a total of 1.71 lakh beds. But there are only 25 biomedical waste treatment plants in the state. The silver lining is that five more are in the pipeline. The treatment plants charge hospitals on per-bed basis.

According to Biomedical Waste Management Rules 2016, all clinical establishments like hospitals, nursing homes, blood banks, clinics, veterinary centres, pathological laboratories, research and educational institutions, first aid rooms of schools and forensic and research laboratories are required to abide by the rules.

Last Updated on Saturday, 29 April 2017 10:56
 


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