The Hindu      19.02.2015 

Garbage disposal goes hi-tech

Deep collection bins for organic and inorganic waste being installed at Arcot Municipality for better solid waste management. —Photo: C. Venkatachalapathy

Soon, residents of Arcot Municipality will get to dispose household waste in sensor-fitted deep collection bins.

This underground waste management system is GPS-enabled and sends alert to specially-designed trucks when the waste reaches 90 per cent of the bin capacity.

With this technology from Latvia-based Green World Group (GWG), which is involved in developing eco-friendly waste management solutions, garbage disposal and collection is all set to go hi-tech in the municipality.

In fact, officials said that this was the first time that such a system was being implemented in India.

Latvia, Finland, Sweden, Germany, France and Norway have adopted this system of garbage disposal and collection.

The municipality generates nearly 25 tonnes of waste per day. Under this project, it plans to install deep collection bins in 60 places, mainly residential localities, in three phases. In the first phase, bins will be placed in 20 places.

The Rs.3-crore-project has been taken up under the Self Sufficiency Scheme.

Funds

“We are pooling Rs. 33 lakh as public share. Of this, Rs. 20 lakh has been handed over to the district administration. While Rs. 45 lakh is being provided from the MLA fund, Arakkonam MP G. Hari has allotted Rs. 15 lakh from MP Local Area Development Scheme,” Arcot MLA R. Srinivasan said.

3 colour-coded bins

Three colour-coded bins – green for degradable waste, blue for plastics and yellow for dry waste - will be installed at identified spots. Only 40 per cent of each bin is placed above the surface level, while the remaining is underground.

There will be one large bin of three tonne capacity and two smaller ones 1.3 tonnes capacity each, said Gokulkrishnan J., director-Technical Supports and Operation, EcoGarb, which is a partner of GWG and is implementing the project. Representatives from GWG and EcoGarb were on a visit to Arcot last week.

Bags of durable materials

The bins that are made of linear low-density polyethylene contain lifting bags made of durable materials in which the waste is kept.

As of now, two specially-designed trucks are being readied for removing waste from the bins, he said, adding, “The driver will receive information through GPS when the waste reaches 90 per cent of bin capacity. The truck has a compactor and crane. The crane will lift the bag and empty it.”

This will be networked to a central monitoring system at the municipality office. Cameras will also be installed at the spots.

This system will pave way for an odour-free environment. “We are also installing solar-powered lights at these spots so that it is properly lit,” R. Purushotaman, chairman of the municipality said.

To start with, the bins have been installed at Devi Nagar First Cross (ward no 3) and Vellore Main Road (ward 14).

Officials said they will create awareness among the public on primary segregation of garbage and disposal into these bins.

Mr. Srinivasan further said that sthey are planning to deploy one women SHG member at each of the locations to inform the public for at least a month.

Once all the bins are put in place, the municipality might also do away with the regular garbage bins, officials said.

The newsystem is GPS-enabled and sends alert to specially-designed trucks when waste reaches 90 per cent of the bin capacity

The Hindu     19.02.2015 

Puducherry municipality to restrict dumping of garbage

in heaps:Garbage being dumped on the entrance of the Foot Over Bridge near the Puducherry bus stand.— Photo: S.S. Kumar

The Puducherry Municipality has asked the residents to avoid throwing or dumping the garbage on streets recklessly.

He advised them to hand over the garbage to the conservancy workers who visit their area every day.

The municipal authorities have found it difficult to control the residents from throwing and dumping garbage on the streets especially after the daily conservancy works are completed.

In Puducherry Municipality, conservancy workers clear garbage piled dustbins in 42 wards twice a day. But still, some residents continue to throw the garbage on roads after the visit of conservancy workers in their respective area.

Municipality, Commissioner R. Chandrasekaran told The Hindu , “We are clearing the garbage from the streets twice a day in 42 wards and disposing the collected garbage at the dumping yard in Kurumbapet. After the conservancy workers complete their jobs, residents, tend to throw the garbage on the streets wherever they wish. The garbage thus causes pollution and health hazards .”

The commissioner said apart from personally monitoring the situation, there are sanitary supervisors to keep a watch on the street hygiene every day.

The officials said that the conservancy workers visit Nehru Street at 8.a.m and 9.30 a.m. Most of shops and commercial establishment open after that and throw garbage on the road caring little for the environment.

In other areas, the residents who live in apartments just throw down the garbage from whichever floor they are in.

The municipal commissioner advised the residents to keep the garbage inside their premises until the conservancy workers took it away.