The Hindu 20.03.2010
Wealth out of Waste project takes off
Special Correspondent
| Plan to carry out a door-to-door awareness drive in Mettupalayam |
— Photo: K.Ananthan. 
To rid of waste:Chairperson of Mettupalayam Municipality Satyavati Ganesh (second right) hands over a garbage collection bag to a resident
COBATORE: Wealth out of Waste, a project under which paper waste and plastic bags are bought from houses and shops, began in Mettupalayam Municipality in the district on Thursday.
The programme is already on in some parts of Coimbatore city and its suburbs. ITC Limited buys waste paper and plastic bags from the people. This helps the company reduce the import of paper waste that it recycles for various purposes. The project in Mettupalayam will also function on the same lines.
Municipal Chairperson Satyavati Ganesh, Commissioner R. Sundaram, Health Officer Pradeep V. Krishnakumar, Manager of ITC Feroz Munshi and Nalini Chandrasekhar of Inner Wheel Club of Mettupalayam launched the project by handing over bags to store the waste. They called for people's support to the programme that could rid the town of paper and plastic waste.
Joint programme
Dr. Krishnakumar said this was a joint programme of the municipality, ITC and the Inner Wheel Club.
The health officer said that out of the five divisions (with 33 wards) in the municipality, Division 5 was chosen to implement the first phase of the project.
While Ward 9 in this division was being covered from Friday, the others –10, 11, 12, 23 and 24 – would be brought under the scheme over the next few days.
The rest of the town would be covered in phases, Dr. Krishnakumar said.
Phase one would cover 2,500 houses, out of the total 17,000 in the 7.2 sq.km. town with an approximate population of 72,000.
While the houses would be given bags with five kg capacity, the 2,786 shops and other commercial establishments would be provided with a 15-kg bag each.
ITC would collect the waste once in 15 days.
Nearly 15 per cent to 20 per cent of the 32 tonnes of municipal solid waste generated every day in the town consisted of those that could be re-cycled, the official said.
“We plan to carry out a door-to-door awareness drive on the new project and involve self-help groups in bringing about total community participation,” Dr. Krishnakumar said.
“Our emphasis will also be on the concept of three ‘Rs' in waste management: reduce, re-use and re-cycle,” he added.
