Corpn to sell dry waste to cement factories

According to a Chennai Corporation official, 45 per cent of waste generated in the city is segregated and sent to waste processing facilities. While the recyclable waste is sent for reuse, remaining combustible dry waste like plastics, clothes, footwear, bags, sofa cover, sofa, mattresses and othersare dumped.

“These dry wastes can be used in cement factories. The decision to sell them has been taken as the infrastructure required for disposing of dry waste is still in development stage and the civic body will require time. Also, there would be a gradual increase in this kind of waste,” the official said.

In this connection, the civic body has invited cement factories that have the capacity to consume at least 300 tonnes of dry waste per day to procure and use the city’s dry waste as fuel in their factories. The cement factories can take dry waste for the next five years. However, the cost of these waste is yet to be finalised.

The civic body has material recovery centres in 12 places and resource recovery centres in 184 places to segregate reusable and resalable products from garbage. Of around 5,000 tonnes of garbage generated in the city every day, 25 to 30 per cent is non-recyclable dry waste, which can be disposed of only by incineration.

Also, the Chennai Corporation had already sanctioned Rs 95.30 crore to set up incineration plants in 10 places with a total processing capacity of 100 tonnes per day. “We are selling reusable items to respective industries. Until the incineration plants for non-recyclable waste come into operation, cement factories will take the waste,” the official said.

The Chennai Corporation is already sending banned plastic items, which are seized from shops, to a cement factory in Ariyalur. The plastic items are being used as fuel in place of coal.