Five colonies of Central Delhi to turn zero-waste by 2018

In a zero waste colony, garbage is segregated into wet waste, dry waste and e-waste. Wet waste is then put in compost pits and e-waste sent to a recycle centre. Such colonies can help solve the problem of garbage disposal in the city

Five NDMC localities — Jor Bagh, Pandara Park, Bapa Nagar, Kaka Nagar and Golf Links — will be made zero waste colonies, the civic corporation’s chairman Naresh Kumar announced on Friday while presenting its annual budget of 2017-18.

Experts say that 50% of the garbage generated in a city is green waste that can be turned into compost. (Ravi Choudhary /HT FILE)

“This will be done in collaboration with local resident welfare associations. The stress will be on segregation of waste at source, composting of organic waste and recycling so that minimum possible garbage reaches landfill sites. We are working out the details. In a month or so, work will start on the ground,” Kumar told HT on Friday.

In a zero waste colony, garbage is segregated into wet waste, dry waste and e-waste. Wet waste is then put in compost pits and e-waste sent to a recycle centre. The rag pickers will collect all the recyclable items from dry waste and the rest will go to the landfill site. This kind of waste segregation reduces the burden on landfill sites.

Experts say that 50% of the garbage generated in a city is green waste that can be turned into compost. Another 30% can be recycled and only 20% should reach the landfills ideally.

The NDMC has also selected a concessionaire for scientific collection and disposal of construction and demolition waste through vehicles having radio frequency identification tags.

“The red colour bins were chosen to differentiate them from normal ones. We will install 10 bins with 10 tonne capacity and 20 with 5 tonne capacity. A concessionaire, Metro Waste Handling Limited, is removing the demolition waste from these bins and taking them to the Shashtri Park construction and demolition plant,” an official said.

Delhi generates 5,000 tonnes of construction and demolition debris — 40% of the total municipal waste - every day. Nearly half of this waste, from big and small construction sites, can be recycled but end up on the Yamuna riverbed, in our backyards, local water bodies, or at landfill sites.

To boost mechanised sweeping, three more mechanical sweepers will be hired by the council. Over 1,800 more garbage bins will be installed in all major roads, markets, parks and gardens.

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