Mumbai : Even though the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) has been severely criticised for not managing Mumbai’s waste correctly, the civic body has begun to take small steps in this direction.
As part of its efforts to empower wards to manage waste at source, the MCGM will now set up 35 new waste segregation centres at the ward level in the city, to separate dry waste that can then be recycled.
The objective of creating such centres is to reduce the burden on the dump yards.
Ward officials have been directed to identify locations to set up these new segregation centres in each of the wards. Vijay Balamwar, Deputy Municipal Commissioner for Solid Waste Management, said, “We have not decided which ward will have how many of these centres. Each ward officer can identify a number of locations, after which we will take a call.”
Presently, there are 32 such waste segregation centres that cater to 1200 metric tons of waste daily. These are run by NGOs which employ rag pickers for waste segregation. The NGO is allowed to sell the waste for recycling. Wet waste from these centres is brought to the dumping ground. However, these 32 centres are proving to be inadequate for the needs of the city, and a major chunk of waste generated is sent to the dump yard without segregation.
35 new waste segregation centres to be set up in city
Apart from setting up these segregation centres, the civic body will also set up waste to energy conversion plants. Wet waste from the new segregation centers will be sent to these bio-plants.
Mumbai city generates around 10,500 metric tonnes of waste per day. Around 3,000 metric tonnes is sent to Deonar, another 3,000 metric tonnes is sent to Kanjurmarg dumping ground and the rest is sent to the Mulund dumping ground.
Meanwhile, Municipal Commissioner Ajoy Mehta has decided to empower Advance Locality Management (ALMs), which is a nexus between the civic body and local citizens, to help the MCGM spread awareness about waste management and segregation.
