Greater Chennai Corporation to raise awareness on segregating waste at home

Sunday, 04 June 2017 00:00 administrator
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The Times of India      04.06.2017   

Greater Chennai Corporation to raise awareness on segregating waste at home

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CHENNAI: The official theme for World Environment Day which falls on June 5 is connecting people with nature. But priorities for Greater Chennai Corporation lies in the basics -- separating your waste at home.

Officials are attempting creative posters and are trying to gather people to take mass pledges to launch source segregation as an everyday practice, which is an extension of the centre's Swachh Bharat Mission. The Ministry of Urban Development has been exerting pressure on the city corporation to show results and set a target.

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Will not work.Mani Menon

So far, 3% of the 5,000 tonnes of waste generated every day is being segregated and does not go to the landfills in Kodungaiyur and Perungudi. "The Ministry of Urban Development has been asking us when we are going to achieve 100% segregation but it is hard to set a target now," said a source in the solid waste management department working to promote the union government's mission adding, "We can't achieve 100% until we have composting pits in all wards and we are in the process of identifying vacant lands and awaiting funds to carry them out."

Though civic officials have been conducting door-to-door awareness and demos on separating wet waste from dry waste and recycling methods, officials believe a special launch on a global day of observation could raise awareness. "The Ministry of Urban Development has sent us a model for campaigning and the entire department is working on that," said the official. Presently, gated communities and apartments primarily in central Chennai, south Chennai and Manali in north Chennai are leading the way in source segregation in the city.