Corpn eyes bin-less streets, to focus on SWM in FY25
The public is encouraged to dispose of waste through cleanliness workers during door-to-door garbage collections every day
Greater Chennai Corporation
CHENNAI: The Greater Chennai Corporation has taken various measures to improve the solid waste management (SWM) system and plans to allocate more funds during the budget for the 2024-25 financial year, city mayor Priya Rajan has said. The local body aims to turn the capital city into a bin-less and litter-free city in the future and educate people on sanitary waste.
Since 2019, the city corporation has been eliminating garbage bins that were dotting every nook and corner of the streets. The public is encouraged to dispose of waste through cleanliness workers during door-to-door garbage collections every day. However, the system did not bring a positive result in the city interiors, where the streets and main roads still wear a messy look.
“While education remains the top priority in the fund allocation. This year, we will also focus on solid waste management and allot additional funds in the budget for various projects. The proposal has been submitted to the government and is expected to be finalised in the next few weeks,” Priya told DT Next.
“Though we take steps to develop solid waste management and aim for a litter-free city, what is required is public cooperation — to segregate, making things easy for the cleanliness workers, and also avoid dumping of the garbage in the water bodies and follow the Corporation’s instructions. Only if the public takes responsibility we will be able to achieve the waste management target,” she added.
The city corporation has submitted a proposal to the State government to generate power from garbage from Kodungaiyur dump yard which will also eliminate emissions from the landfill as the locality is prone to pollution. “Many foreign countries have plans to convert wet waste into bio-CNG to prepare methane gas and power residential areas. The GCC aims to emulate the model in the city too,” she said.
In the 2023-2024 budget, the local body earmarked Rs 260.52 crore for the procurement of logistics material for city sanitation, construction of infrastructure in dumping yards, etc. Additional vehicles for garbage collection were also planned.
The GCC is also planning a biomining project in the Perungudi dump yard to convert the place into greenery, removing the legacy waste. The same is yet to begin at Kodungaiyur dumpyard. An estimated cost of Rs 630 crore is allocated for the project, the mayor said.
