The Hindu 04.04.2017
Novel plan to convert beedi leaf waste into manure
From April 15, conservancy workers not to accept beedi leaf waste from people
Tirunelveli Corporation, which has been struggling for decades in
dealing with beedi leaf waste, has come out with a novel idea for
collecting it from beedi rollers and converting it into manure.
Since
beedi rolling is a predominant activity in Melapalayam area, in which
several thousand women are involved, around 10 beedi rolling companies,
all having their offices at Melapalayam, are supplying beedi leaves and
tobacco to these labourers for making beedis. Consequently, Melapalayam
has become a major producer of beedi leaf waste and the civic body is
struggling to separate this waste from household waste and convert it
into manure.
Recently, Corporation Commissioner S. Sivasubramanian
had a meeting with beedi manufacturing company owners on beedi leaf
waste management.
Since the Solid Waste Management Act, 2016,
requires the individuals producing the waste to segregate it as
degradable and nondegradable at source and hand them over to the
conservancy workers, Mr. Sivasubramanian asked the beedi manufacturing
unit owners to collect beedi leaf waste while getting the beedis from
workers.
“The beedi manufacturing companies have been asked to
give the rollers reusable bags to keep beedi leaf waste so that it can
easily be handed over to the manufacturers while the rolled beedis are
returned to the companies. On getting the beedi leaf waste from the
rollers, the companies should hand it over to the Corporation employees
to convert it into manure,” Mr. Sivasubramanian said.
He
added that Corporation conservancy workers would not accept beedi leaf
waste from April 15 while collecting waste from the public.
“Our
personnel will not collect the beedi leaf waste from the rollers from
April 15 as it should be handed over only to the manufacturing companies
which, in turn, will forward it to the Corporation dump for converting
it into manure. The companies which dare to defy this instruction and
allow their workers to dump the waste along the streets will have to
face serious consequences,” Mr. Sivasubramanian added.