Segregate waste, Radhakrishnan tells denizens

CHENNAI: Only 50% of residents segregate waste and hand it over to cleanliness workers, which has led to a garbage pile-up in the residential areas in the last few years.

Corporation Commissioner J Radhakrishnan stressed the necessity of having dedicated bins for wet, dry and hazardous wastes in every household.

Taking part with his wife in a source segregation awareness campaign, along with Urbaser Sumeet, a private solid waste management contractor of the local body on Friday, Radhakrishnan said that the GCC aims to reduce waste-generation in the coming years.

They handed over the waste to a conservancy worker who came on a battery-operated vehicle and also created awareness among the public in Tiruvanmiyur area. They distributed pamphlets and requested residents to segregate waste, advocated for a conscientious approach to celebrating Bhogi, and urged the public to abstain from burning harmful materials such as tyres and plastics, which contribute to air pollution and pose health risks.

“When people burn plastic and tyres on Bhogi, it leads to poor air quality and visibility. It would also cause respiratory issues, eye irritation and various health issues,” said Radhakrishnan. “Residents must hand over waste to conservancy staff. Just following regulations is not enough, the public should also take responsibility.”

Adding that residents throw burning waste into dustbins, he pointed out: “When plastic bins burn at a high temperature, it leads to health and environmental problems, which is why waste segregation and solid waste management are crucial in the city.”

More than 80% of door-to-door garbage collection is done depending on the area. Of which, 50% waste segregation is done by residents. The daily waste generated from a resident has increased from 500 gm to 700 gm.

“There’s at least 65 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste in Perungudi and Kodungaiyur dumpyards. Waste segregation reduces the work load of cleanliness workers, who collect and dump them at transfer points and dumping grounds,” he explained. “Dumping waste can be changed into money internationally including material recovery and CNG.”

The waste segregation initiative resonates with the efforts of approximately 20,000 conservancy workers who work tirelessly to manage the waste generated by nearly 80 lakh citizens of Chennai. This initiative by Radhakrishnan and his wife also brought to light the dangers the workers face due to the mishandling of sharp objects and pins in waste, which emphasises the need for careful segregation of waste at source.