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40 garbage collection centres to be replaced with 3 material recovery facilities in Chandigarh
The project is part of the MC’s plan to roll out a “perfect model” to replace the “average model” of garbage collection currently operational in the city.
In a bid to phase out the neighbourhood garbage collection centres, the Sehaj Safai Kendras (SSK), the municipal corporation is coming up with three material recovery facilities (MRF) in the city.
While the construction of two MRFs has already started, the work contract for the third was allotted on Wednesday.
The MC plans to shut down around 40 SSKs which are located in different sectors and villages, and replace them with MRFs. Three of them will come up at Industrial Area in Phases 1 and 2 (one near the MC public health store and second near 3BRD), and third one adjoining the garbage processing plant in Sector 25.
The project, being implemented by the Chandigarh Smart City Limited (CSCL), will cost around ₹25 crore. After the MRFs come up, the garbage collected by door-to-door collectors from residential and commercial establishments will be shifted to MRFs and then to the waste processing plant.
No more dumping near houses
“The SSK creates garbage dumps near people’s houses and shops. With MRF up and running, it will ensure proper disposal of segregated waste without much traffic movement and will go directly to processing. City residential and commercial areas will be garbage free,” said KK Yadav, MC commissioner.
Recently, the use of SSKs came under severe scrutiny during a strike called by the MC sanitation workers and garbage collectors. The garbage from households was being dumped at the SSK, but wasn’t being lifted from there. This would result in large heaps of garbage getting collected near markets and residential areas.
The SSK will be closed down once the garbage collection vehicles are brought in. “The recycled solid waste that is recoverable from the segregated waste will be taken out through a conveyor belt system at the MRF. Rest will be shifted to the garbage processing plant in Sector 25. Wet waste will be directly transferred to the processing plant,” said Yadav.
SSKs are primarily needed because of the cycle-cart based door-to-door garbage collection system in the city. “There is limitation to the distance a cart can take the garbage from a house. Once the vehicles become operational, this constraint will be removed,” Yadav added.
MC striving for “perfect model” of waste disposal
The project is part of the MC’s plan to roll out a “perfect model” to replace the “average model” of garbage collection currently operational in the city.
The MC is adding 390 new garbage collection vehicles to its fleet of 100 vehicles. Along with the vehicles, the MC through CSCL will set up a solid waste management vehicle tracking and a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) facility, which will come up in the MC building. Once SCADA becomes operational, MC officials will be able to track the movement and activity of garbage collection trucks.
