Chennai: Chennai Corporation on Thursday asked restaurants, marriage halls, and traders dealing in perishable goods (bulk waste generators) to work on zero waste management, where the waste should be segregated and reduced to compost within the premises where they are generated.
According to Ripon Buildings sources, a recent high-level meeting of the civic officials initially decided to collect extra charges from those who are generating waste in huge quantities, but later it was decided to promote waste de-composting at source so that the garbage load generated in Chennai is reduced by over 40 percent. “From Gandhi Jayanthi on October 2, the new direction will come into force and already the bulk waste generators have been identified”, said a press statement issued by the city corporation.
“The city corporation wants bulk waste generators that either generate at least 100 kg waste or have a large space area to work on waste management and the commissioner D. Karthikeyan issued orders and instructions on the subject,” a corporation official said, adding that the move will reduce the waste sent to dumping yards at Perungudi and Kodungaiyur dumping yards.
According to city corporation sources, 700 grams of garbage is generated by a person per day and the city on an average generated 5,400 tonnes of waste per day comprising 40 percent of recyclable and green waste that can be composted at source. Municipal corporations of Mumbai and Bhuvaneshwar had also started trying waste compost through bulk generators.
