Material recovery facilities to replace secondary waste collection points

To reduce the load on the Bandhwari landfill, the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) is planning to develop material recovery facilities, for segregating waste at a secondary level, officials said on Wednesday. A material recovery facility will have various types of machines to segregate waste at different stages, through which items such as plastics, glass bottles, metals and paper, among other such items, can be recovered, recycled, and sold

To reduce the load on the Bandhwari landfill, the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) is planning to develop material recovery facilities, for segregating waste at a secondary level, officials said on Wednesday.

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Currently, all waste collected from households is dumped at a waste collection point or waste pit, marked as secondary points, from where it is carried to the landfill for processing.

During an interaction with MCG councillors on Monday, MCG commissioner Mukesh Kumar Ahuja said that the civic body is changing its waste collection strategy and setting up material recovery facilities to replace all existing secondary collection points.

The facilities, he said, will be used for segregating waste, from which recycled items can be sold to private companies. “There is a big difference between sitting in Chandigarh and seeing Gurugram on the ground. We all (officials and councillors) have to work together to make Gurugram a better city. Officials have been directed to make the city garbage and polythene free. Under this, material recovery facilities will be developed instead of pits or secondary waste points,” said Ahuja, who, until last month, served as the deputy commissioner of Panchkula.

During the meeting, Ahuja also apprised councillors that Ecogreen, the MCG’s concessionaire for door-to-door collection of waste, and the civic body’s sanitation wing officials have been directed to set up these facilities.

MCG officials said that a material recovery facility is a key component in the Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules, 2016.

A senior official, requesting anonymity, said “Besides reducing the load on the landfill, a material recovery facility helps in saving and earning money. With the load of waste reducing, the quantity of waste carried to the landfill, and the number of trips to carry it also reduces, thereby saving fuel and transportation costs. The sale of recycled waste then helps in generating money.”

The official said that in a nutshell, a material recovery facility will have various types of machines to segregate waste at different stages, through which items such as plastics, glass bottles, metals and paper, among other such items, can be recovered, recycled, and sold.

MCG officials said that a survey is currently underway to determine the exact quantity and type of waste that is generated across the city to determine the amount of potential waste that can be recycled and the number of facilities needed for it.

“The initial process for setting up MRFs has already commenced. Land has been earmarked at three locations, including Carterpuri and Sector 43, for the facilities. As per the agreement, the MCG will be responsible for setting up the boundary wall while Ecogreen will set up the facility and maintain its day-to-day operations,” said Sanjeev Sharma, official spokesperson, Ecogreen.