'Clean Air Mumbai' initiative: BMC ready to set up recycling plant for debris

Mumbai : To curb the air pollution, the BMC under its "Clean Air Mumbai '' initiative has announced a 7-step strategy. As part of its plan, the civic body after five years has finally started a process to set up two plants for recycling construction and demolition (C & D) debris. Accordingly, the civic authority will be appointing two contractors who would collect the debris from the city and suburbs and recycle it to make building materials out of it. 

1000 metric tonnes debris generated everyday in Mumbai

The city generates around 6,300 metric tonnes of waste. As per civic estimate around 1,000 metric tonnes of construction debris is generated every day. It has been noticed that construction debris is dumped on roads, nullahs or open play grounds, near gardens as well as unused places of Mumbai. To stop the illegal dumping the BMC started debris on call service in 2018.  But since there is lack of space for dumping debris it was challenging for the BMC to discard the construction waste. So the civic body had planned to set up a recycling C & D plant in the city, but that didn't materialise. 

Meanwhile, the poor air quality in Mumbai for more than three months has forced BMC to introduce a policy for mitigating air-pollution. Accordingly, the civic body announced in its budget 2023 -24, of setting up two C & D waste processing plants of 600 tonnes per day capacity each. " We have recently invited a tender to appoint two contractors for western, eastern and city who will be responsible to pick up the debris from the city. They will have to take it to the recycle plant and make benches to seat, paver block etc. The contractor will be paid on a per tonne basis. A mobile app will also be introduced soon where citizens can request for the service to pick up the debris," said a senior civic official. 

The combined capacity of the plants will be 1,200 tonnes per day. The contractor appointed would be paid Rs.1,425 per tonne for the eastern suburbs and the island city and Rs.1,415 per tonne for the western suburbs in the first year. The plants will be operational in a year. The city generates around 6,300 metric tonnes of waste. As per civic estimate around 1,000 metric tonnes of construction debris is generated every day. It has been noticed that construction debris is dumped on roads, nullahs or open play grounds, near gardens as well as unused places of Mumbai. To stop the illegal dumping the BMC started debris on call service in 2018.  But since there is lack of space for dumping debris it was challenging for the BMC to discard the construction waste. So the civic body had planned to set up a recycling C & D plant in the city, but that didn't materialise. 

Meanwhile, the poor air quality in Mumbai for more than three months has forced BMC to introduce a policy for mitigating air-pollution. Accordingly, the civic body announced in its budget 2023 -24, of setting up two C & D waste processing plants of 600 tonnes per day capacity each. " We have recently invited a tender to appoint two contractors for western, eastern and city who will be responsible to pick up the debris from the city. They will have to take it to the recycle plant and make benches to seat, paver block etc. The contractor will be paid on a per tonne basis. A mobile app will also be introduced soon where citizens can request for the service to pick up the debris," said a senior civic official. 

The combined capacity of the plants will be 1,200 tonnes per day. The contractor appointed would be paid Rs.1,425 per tonne for the eastern suburbs and the island city and Rs.1,415 per tonne for the western suburbs in the first year. The plants will be operational in a year.