40-day waste segregation drive to begin today in South Chennai

CHENNAI: The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) will restart its 40-day awareness campaign, ‘Segregate Waste – Save Tomorrow’, across the southern region starting October 1 (Thursday). The initiative, originally launched on August 22, was briefly paused to ensure complete coverage of targeted households as bag distribution continues.

According to the GCC, civic officials reported that dry waste bags and monitoring stickers had been distributed to 45,000 of the targeted 50,000 households as of September 28.

A senior official told DT Next, “The remaining distribution work is expected to be completed shortly. Once all targeted households receive the materials, the official 40-day challenge will begin. At the conclusion of the campaign, prizes will be awarded to the households demonstrating the best source-segregation practices.”

As per the Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules 2026, to improve segregation at source, biodegradable, non-biodegradable, sanitary and hazardous waste have to be separately disposed of. The official also stated that the Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) initiative was already yielding positive results.

“Waste segregation at the household level has jumped from 35% to 64% among residents who have received the distribution bags,” the official added. “The main idea behind this activity is to foster knowledge and understanding among residents to boost household waste segregation.”

P Moorthi, a resident of Bharat Nagar in Adambakkam, shared his experience: “For over two years, even before this 40-day initiative, we’ve been submitting wet and dry waste separately. Now, we’re segregating waste into four categories. Cleanliness workers visit daily and consistently remind every household to keep their waste segregated.”

However, pointing out a gap in the household collection, a resident of Himanchal Nagar in Ward 165 noted that while residents continued to segregate waste, dedicated red bins for sanitary waste were not yet available on all collection vehicles. Workers currently collect sanitary items separately using plastic covers or black bins, and make a note of this on the sheets pasted outside homes.

To further improve waste management, the official directed the private contractor, Urbaser Sumeet, to place a dedicated bin for sanitary waste on Battery Operated Vehicles (BOVs). A spokesperson from Urbaser, said: “As of now, 3 bins are used under 2021 rules – green, blue, and black for wet, dry and special care waste. But 2026 regulations mandate separate sanitary waste collection in a red-coloured bin. Orders are placed to procure red colour bins. When it arrives, it will be distributed to BOV drivers.”

A BOV driver in the Alandur zone lamented his daily challenges: “I cover 23 streets in ward 165; most residents comply, but a few streets lag. Some residents in Lingam Street are harsh, telling us to segregate the garbage ourselves. This takes time. Although my official shift ends at 2 pm, I frequently extend my working hours, leaving little time even to take a lunch break.”

Ward 179 DMK councillor Kayalvizhi Jayakumar stated that source segregation was progressing well in residential areas like Kalakshetra Colony, but admitted that achieving it in slum pockets was a persistent challenge.

Another senior GCC official expressed difficulty in expanding the drive city-wide. “Bag procurement requires funding. In the first-phase, bags were secured via corporate CSR initiatives. Further expansion depends on securing additional funds,” he added.