The Times of India             05.11.2013

Corporation hopes to clear Diwali waste by today

TRICHY: Civic conservancy workers on Monday had their hands full as the streets in Trichy city were strewn with burnt firecrackers and torn gift wrappers. Trichy Corporation aims to clear all the piled up garbage by Tuesday.

The spurt in garbage on Diwali amounted to 30 tonnes, said city engineer Chandran S. Usually, the city generates about 430 tonnes of garbage daily. Of this about 410 tonnes are collected by 76 trucks deployed for the purpose.

To remove the additional garbage, the trucks would make additional trips to all the 65 wards, the civic engineer said. In an ordinary day, the corporation trucks make at least 12 trips to collect the garbage. Now the trips have been increased to 20. The civic conservancy workers collected up to 300 tonnes of garbage on Sunday itself, while 425 tonnes were removed on Monday, Chandran said.

The corporation officials said that the short spell of rain hampered the removal of garbage. With most of the bins overflowing, stench could be felt at several areas. Personnel of Exnora, a civic agency which is also involved in cleaning works along with the corporation workers, said the workers found it difficult to remove the garbage due to rains.

Mohan P, the youth wing president of Exnora, said a 25% rise in garbage is witnessed during Diwali every year. In 60 zones Exnora workers noticed an increase of five tonnes of garbage. Burnt firecrackers, gift wrappers and plastic from sweet boxes form a major part of the garbage, Mohan said.

Chandran explained that the additional garbage is mainly due to the large decorative material and cardboard boxes used in the packaging of firecrackers. As residents dispose the material without crushing, the space in the bins gets reduced, he noted.

The Exnora conservancy workers, however, noted that households generated less waste when compared to last year.