Bandhwari landfill: Processed waste to be burnt at Sonipat WTE plant from next month

The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) has decided to transport processed waste, especially refuse-derived fuel (RDF), generated at the Bandhwari landfill to a waste-to-energy (WTE) plant in Sonipat, near Murthal, from next month, to clear space for setting up a WTE plant at the Bandhwari landfill

The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) has decided to transport processed waste (refuse-derived fuel), generated at the Bandhwari landfill to a waste-to-energy (WTE) plant in Sonipat, near Murthal, from next month, to clear space for setting up a WTE plant at the Bandhwari landfill.

Around 2.5 million tonnes of legacy waste is estimated to be lying at the Bandhwari landfill, which receives around 1,900 tonnes of fresh waste daily from Gurugram and Faridabad. (HT Archive)

Officials said that the waste cleaning process would also be expedited as increased space would facilitate the operation of all available trommel machines at one location.

“The RDF [refuse-derived fuel] carried to the Sonipat WTE will be incinerated for producing electricity. Currently, RDF is occupying around 1.5-2 acres of the Bandhwari landfill. Once this land is vacant, we can place all trommel machines at one location, and also create space for starting the WTE project. This will further help expedite clearing of both fresh and legacy waste,” Sunder Sheoran, executive engineer, Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) of MCG, who is overseeing the project, said.

The MCG has floated tenders and bids will be opened on November 5, officials said on Wednesday. Sheoran said that the tender process is expected to be completed next month, following which transportation of RDF will commence right away.

“In the tender, the carrying capacity has been defined. The contractor would have to transport at least 2,000 metric tonnes of RDF to the Sonipat WTE on a daily basis,” Sheoran said.

The WTE plant in Sonipat is located nearly 90 kilometres from the Bandhwari landfill, which lies at the Gurugram-Faridabad border. It is Haryana’s first functional WTE project and was inaugurated by Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on August 17.

The development holds importance as the Bandhwari landfill has been struggling for space, not only to store solid waste but also RDF generated at the site.

RDF is essentially derived from non-recyclable plastic and paper derived from municipal solid waste, and is burned in a WTE plant to produce electricity. Trommel machines are used for screening combustible items, such as metals and glass, which are removed from the waste pile and separated for RDF.

Around 2.5 million tonnes of legacy waste is estimated to be lying at the Bandhwari landfill, which receives around 1,900 tonnes of fresh waste daily from Gurugram and Faridabad. In addition, the landfill also has around 60,000 metric tonnes of RDF stored over two acres.

Any waste dumped at a site for more than a month is considered legacy waste.

In April, environmentalists and residents alleged that the MCG was dumping legacy waste and RDF in forest land near Mohtabad and Pali villages of Faridabad — an ecologically sensitive leopard corridor — due to a lack of space available at the landfill.

MCG officials said that moving the RDF will clear space to accommodate all 17 trommel machines at one location as well as open up space for the civic body to set up its WTE plant.

According to MCG officials, trommel machines are currently placed at different corners of the landfill, which is affecting its output. Also, a total of 10 acres is needed to set up a WTE plant.

By September, the MCG had cleared six acres using trommel machines and is aiming to clear four more acres at the earliest.

“Depending on the size of the vehicle, it will take at least 15-20 trucks to transport 2,000 metric tonnes of RDF on a daily basis. The journey from Bandhwari to Sonipat WTE takes around three hours one-way, and each truck will be expected to carry RDF on a one-time basis per day,” a senior MCG official said.

The official said that if the daily target of carrying at least 2,000 metric tonnes of RDF to WTE is maintained by the contractor, it will take around two months for the MCG to clear the two acres where RDF is currently stored.

During a public hearing over the Bandhwari WTE on August 31, several environmentalists had also suggested carrying legacy waste from Bandhwari to the Sonipat WTE.

“On paper, the project of transporting waste from the Bandhwari landfill to the Sonipat WTE makes complete sense. If done properly, the need for setting up a WTE amid forest land in Bandhwari will no longer be required and instead, the Haryana government could focus on expanding the Sonipat WTE to cater to the waste load of Gurugram and Faridabad,” Vaishali Rana, a city-based environmentalist, said.