Scrap dealers to recover ‘useful’ garbage for free

In a bid to dispose of piled up waste from resource recovery centres, the Greater Chennai Corporation has decided to give free and unrestricted access to scrap dealers into the centres.

The decision was taken during a meeting held at Ripon Building on Tuesday when Corporation Commissioner G Prakash directed zonal level officials of the Solid Waste Management department to implement the initiative.

The civic body has 64 resource recovery centres (RRC) across the city to segregate reusable items from garbage.

Wet waste segregated at the centres would be sent tocomposting centres to beconverted into manure, whilerecyclable waste would be sent to recycling plants. “If the scrap dealers areallowed into the RRC, they will take the recyclable and re-usable items which the Corporationis unable to sell. This will help reduce the amount of waste sent to the landfills. In Perungudi zone, scrap dealers are being allowed to salvage the useful items,” an official, who attended the meeting said.

It is learnt that Prakashhas also directed the officials to take stern action againstthe owners of vacant plotswho fail to remove garbage dumped on their site.

“As per the Commissioner’s direction, we will identify and remove garbage being dumped in vacant plots and collect the expense of removing garbage from landowners. He has also directed to implore industries to provide funds to procure battery-operated-vehicles to ensure door-to-door garbage collection,” the official added.

The civic body has procured 400 battery-operated vehicles but the requirement is around 5,000 such vehicles to replace all the tricycles in the city.

The Greater Chennai Corporation has requested the residents to send their views on draft Plastic Waste Management Rules, 019, which has been prepared as per central government rules. According to a Chennai Corporation press statement, the residents could examine the rules at Chennai Corporation zonal offices, regional offices and Ripon Building from 10.30 am to 5 pm on all working days. The draft rules have also been released in the civic body website www.chennaicorporation.gov.in. “Residents should send their views and suggestions to make modifications in the draft rules within 30 days. The representations can be made in person or through e-mail,” the statement added. Chennai Corporation Commissioner G Prakash appointed superintending engineers of north, south and central regions to collect the public opinion. Residents can also send opinions to zonal officers.