Dumping of fresh waste may render biomining efforts futile at Ariyamangalam
Tiruchi's waste management efforts are being undermined by equipment failures at composting centers, leading to the dumping of fresh waste at the Ariyamangalam site. This threatens the progress made by the city's ongoing biomining project to clear legacy waste.
Why it matters
Effective waste management is essential for urban sanitation and environmental health, particularly in cities struggling with legacy landfill issues.
Frequent machinery breakdown and inadequate maintenance at Micro Composting Centres (MCCs) across Tiruchi are hampering waste processing, with a portion of the city’s garbage being sent directly to the Ariyamangalam dumpyard.
Tiruchi generates about 470 tonnes of municipal waste every day. The city had 39 MCCs across five zones, with each centre processing between five and 10 tonnes of waste daily.
Sanitation workers collect waste through door-to-door collection and segregate it into biodegradable and non-biodegradable components at the composting centres. The biodegradable portion is processed into organic manure while recyclable waste is sold to scrap dealers.
However, several composting centres have become non-functional due to faulty equipment, particularly shredding machines. Inadequate maintenance and delay in repairing the equipment has aggravated the problem. In some instances, unsegregated waste is being transported directly to the Ariyamangalam dumpyard.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in