Vellore, Tiruvannamalai dispatch first load of garbage to cement unit

Both the districts have will transport the waste  to UltraTech, a private cement factory, which will convert it into fuel through incineration. Following this agreement, the first load of 3 tonnes and 10 tonnes from Tiruvannamalai and Vellore respectively was dispatched to the company’s unit in Ariyalur on Monday.

Tiruvannamalai Collector KS Kandasamy told DTNext, “Tiruvannamalai being a small town generates only 60 tonnes of garbage daily, of which 10 tonnes are 

plastic waste.” 

At present, both districts spend their own funds to shift the waste to Ariyalur as the cement company only sends its vehicle to places within the plant’s 150 km radius. 

The Vellore Corporation had spent Rs 30,000 to transport the first load through hired lorries. However, its Commissioner C Vijayakumar said they were considering other means to transport the plastic waste as the cash-strapped urban body could not afford such a huge amount for lorries. 

When contacted, a spokesperson of the cement company said, “We have the technology to convert the plastic waste into fuel. Besides Vellore and Tiruvannamalai, we receive garbage loads from Chennai, Dindigul, Karur, Palani, Udumalpet, Tiruchy, Perambalur, Jayankondam, Mayiladuthurai and Chidambaram every day.”