Mumbai: After segregation of dry and wet waste, the BMC has now decided to focus on domestic hazardous waste produced in the city. For the purpose, eight more units will be added by 2024, to the existing three domestic hazardous waste processing units. However, due to lack of segregation, currently, 12 tonnes of waste is processed of the 70 tonnes generated per day.
Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016
According to the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, the civic body needs to achieve waste management at source, reducing dependability on dumping grounds. To achieve the target, the BMC has prepared 'Vision 2030' to improve wastemanagement in the city. After facing criticism, the civic authority has procured special vehicles to carry dry, wet and hazardous waste separately. The ward offices have also started asking housing societies to separate domestic hazardouswaste. But their efforts have not yielded results as yet.
The civic body procure plasma treatment units from Malaysia for processing domestic hazardous waste like sanitary napkins, baby and adult diapers, medicine bottles etc. It has set up three processing units at Oshiwara, Malad and Dharavi in 2021. But these units collectively process only 12 tonnes of domestic hazardous waste, since segregation is low, said a civic source.
"Segregation of such waste is yet to be made mandatory in the city. We are going step by step by encouraging citizens to segregate the domestic hazardous waste, while on the other hand, we are increasing the number of vehicles that will carry the segregated waste separately. Also, eight processing units are in the pipeline. Citizens' support and participation is also important to make our efforts successful,” said a civic official.
*Domestic hazardous waste
Discarded paint drums, sanitary napkins, adult and baby diapers, batteries, pesticide cans, bulbs, tube-lights, expired medicines, broken mercury thermometres, used needles and syringes etc.
* New processing unit : near Navy colony, MSDP pumping station, 2 near Bandra garage, Aarey cemetery, Deonar Dumping ground, Ghatkopar west, Dahisar. Capacity of each unit - 4 tonnes per day.
* Unit at Ghatkopar west to start in a month, while the one at Deonar dumping ground will take another 3-4 months. The rest will be set up by next year.
Daily waste generated in Mumbai : 6500 metric tonnes
Domestic hazardous waste generated - 70 metric tonnes
Capacity of each processing unit - 4 metric tonnes
Total project cost Rs.21.46 crore
BMC to deploy e-vehicles to pick up such waste
