With Corporation Commissioner S. Aneesh Sekhar giving hotels, theatre complexes and marriage halls only two weeks to begin recycling their waste, some organisations have come up with novel ways to deal with garbage.

A total of 30 hotels have signed up with the Madurai District Hoteliers Association to begin composting through a project called ‘Smart Clean Green Madurai.’

The association has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Madurai Corporation to boost waste management process. Many businesses are still grappling with the process of waste segregation, according to K. Thirupathi, project head of the initiative.

The plant located at Pazhathottam near Sigaganga Road, which will will start functioning soon, uses high-tech accelerated composting technology. An organic shredder will break down biodegradable waste into smaller particles. A composting machine, with a conveyor belt, where finer plastic particles can be removed manually and an ‘organic slurry machine’ form part of the plant.

The waste will be loaded onto the conveyor belt and workers will segregate small plastic items. The approved junk will be converted into fine black particles and released into a long composting pit and nature will take its course.

Every 21 days, 15 to 18 % of biodegradable waste will become fine organically enriched manure that can be used to grow vegetables and fruits on 5.5 acres of land. Twelve varieties of vegetables and 15 varieties of fruits, along with greens, have been planned on this plot. The aim is to collect 10 tonnes of garbage from hotels and marriage halls everyday. “We make use of the largely wasted coconut water as a micro-nutrient, a medium for micro-organisms and as a source of potash,” says Mr. Thirupathi.

The cost of the machinery, Rs. 55 lakh, has been borne by the Corporation and Mr. Thirupathi’s KT Greens India. Workers will be deputed to pick up segregated garbage from hotels and bring the waste to the yard so that hoteliers can be at ease. The project aims to provide employment to at least 14 people. It is set to roll out in two weeks.

Other organisations are stepping in to be part of the initiative. GRT Regency has a composting machine that processes over 100 kg of waste a day. According to the Chief Engineer Gopal, 70 kg of manure is produced at the end of the week and sold to local farmers.

According to an official, bulk waste generators producing over 100 kg of waste a day can use different composting methods.

Those wanting to sell the manure can register with ‘Mobile Fertiliser Management System.’This is open to housing associations and residential apartments with over 5,000 square feet of land too.

For details regarding the composting process, call Madurai Corporation or Mr. Thirupathi at 98942 33331.

All village panchayats in Tiruchi district will be declared open defecation-free (ODF) by December 31, according to Collector K. Rajamani.

Speaking at a function organised by Association of Voluntary Organisations here on Saturday, he said that construction of Individual Household Latrines (IHHL) in village panchayats had gained momentum. Out of 404 village panchayats, construction of individual household toilets in all houses of 301 panchayats had already been completed. The DRDA officials were instructed to expedite the process of constructing toilets in all pending villages. The progress of works was being closely monitored.

“Tiruchi district is a pioneer in construction of toilets in rural households. The day is not far away in declaring Tiruchi district is open defecation-free,” Mr. Rajamani said. Stating that Tiruchi city had figured in the top 10 cleanest cities across the country for three years consecutively, he said a number of steps had been initiated to improve the ranking in 2018. All citizens of the city should cooperate with the civic body to improve its ranking. Tiruchi City Corporation had already banned plastic sale, which was affecting the environment.

Complimenting the Non-Governmental Organizations in Tiruchi district on creating awareness among the people on open defecation, Mr. Rajamani said their role in solid waste management could not be underestimated.

K. Meena, former vice-chancellor, Bharathidasan University, said that the NGOs would have to play a key role in creating awareness among the public on various aspects of life.

“Sevai” Govindaraj, “Scope” Subburaman, M.A. Aleem, former vice-principal, K. A. P. Viswanatham Medical College, Tiruchi and others spoke.

Earlier, Mr. Rajamani presented a medal on behalf of Association of Voluntary Agencies to S. Sakul Hameed, Executive Officer, Ponnampatti Town Panchayat, as a token of appreciation for bagging best town panchayat award in the State for best practices in solid waste management.