Chenai Corporation to sell recyclable waste directly to aggregators

CHENNAI: The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) Council has approved a proposal allowing recyclable waste collected under Thooimai Mission 2.0 to be sold directly to authorised aggregators registered with the Clean Tamil Nadu Company Limited (CTCL).

The move aims to clear the large piles of segregated waste that have remained stagnant in zonal storage yards for months, awaiting auction clearance.

Replacing the earlier practice of disposing of materials through Union government’s MSTC Limited’s e-auction process, the new system enables the Corporation to sell segregated waste including plastic, glass, paper, metals, cardboard, wood, and e-waste at rates fixed by CTCL, a State-run enterprise under the Municipal Administration and Water Supply (MAWS) Department.

Officials stated that delays in the MSTC auction cycle had created space shortages at storage points and potential health risks due to prolonged accumulation of recyclables. “It usually takes more than 15 days to complete all procedures through the auction route. The objective is to clear the landfills, and allowing aggregators to collect directly from zonal levels will make the process much faster,” said an assistant executive engineer, Solid Waste Management (SWM) department.

The CTCL has issued Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and a uniform price chart for recyclable materials. Polythene bags are priced at Rs 20 per kilogram in urban areas, stainless-steel scrap at Rs 30, copper wires at Rs 300, and discarded refrigerators at Rs 800 per piece. The same rates apply across all local bodies in the State, ensuring a uniform structure for sale and procurement.

Following the Council’s approval, the north, central, and south regional offices of the Corporation will be authorised to periodically dispose of recyclable materials through direct sale to CTCL-registered aggregators. All transactions will be recorded on the Thooimai Mission digital platform to ensure transparency and traceability.

The Thooimai Mission was launched under the purview of the Special Programme Implementation Department with Chief Minister Stalin serving as the chairperson of the governing body. It seeks to strengthen solid waste management through source segregation, recycling, processing, and circular-economy practices.

The first phase of the Thooimai Mission in June 2025 sold around 125 tonnes of recyclables through MSTC, while the second phase in September is now shifting to direct sales to clear around 35 tonnes already collected across the city zones. Officials from the SWM Department said, “The aggregator-based model for waste collection and recycling will be extended across the State in the coming weeks.”

Price/kg of recyclable materials across all urban local bodies

(Source: Clean Tamil Nadu Company Ltd)

Polythene bags: Rs 20

Milk pouches: Rs 8

Hard plastics (bottles, chairs, toys, containers): Rs 10

Glass bottles: Rs 4

Tamil newspapers: Rs 5

English newspapers: Rs 8

Used A4 sheets / old books: Rs 15

Cardboard / carton boxes: Rs 10

Broken wooden furniture: Rs 5

Stainless-steel scrap: Rs 30

Aluminium scrap: Rs 45

Copper wires/AC tubes: Rs 300

Discarded refrigerator: Rs 800/piece

Washing machine: Rs 600/piece

Laptop, CPU: Rs 400–500/piece

Cell phone: Rs 80/piece