Apart from dry and wet waste, now residents have to segregate household hazardous waste in Navi Mumbai. Under this new category, citizens have been asked to segregate diapers, sanitary napkins, battery cells, paint cans, chemical sprays, disinfectants, empty medicine bottles, bulbs, and tube lights.
Eyeing on number one rank in the annual Cleanliness Survey, civic chief Abhijit Bangar held a meeting of civic officials to check the progress on waste management in the city.
During the meeting, Bangar directed the Solid Waste Management (SWM) department to implement that no lifting of garbage if waste is not segregated. The civic administration has been pushing for a long time for waste segregation at sources.
A senior official from the SWM said that the civic body has included a new category in waste segregation “Household Hazardous Waste”. “Now, citizens will have to segregate hazardous waste like segregate diapers, sanitary napkins, battery cells, paint cans, chemical sprays, disinfectants, empty medicine bottles, bulbs, and tube lights,” said the official. He added that there is a need for active participation from citizens in waste management.
Civic chief directed officials to seek the cooperation of public representatives and NGOs at the local level. He also suggested that the society members should also be sensitized in this regard.
During the meeting, Bangar also suggested that the housing societies generating more than 50 kg of waste per day should be encouraged to implement waste disposal projects on their premises. The civic administration will provide technical help in setting up such projects. “The purpose is to increase the number of households converting wet waste into compost at home,” said the official.
The civic administration is working on a concept of a garbage-free city that is beautified in a way that people avoid dumping garbage anywhere. “The priority is to keep the city clean and ensure that even one percent of garbage is dumped on the streets. In realizing the concept of a garbage-free city, each and every place of the city will be beautified in such a way that people do not feel the need to dump garbage,” said the official.
