MCG to use C&D waste in construction of roads, footpaths

The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) is considering the possibility of using construction and demolition (C&D) waste recovered from Bandhwari landfill in

The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) is considering the possibility of using construction and demolition (C&D) waste recovered from Bandhwari landfill in the construction of roads and footpaths across the city, said officials on Wednesday. The matter was proposed during a meeting of the finance and contract committee (F&CC) on October 16 and received in-principle approval.

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As per MCG officials, three types of waste are separated from solid waste with the help of trommel screening machines at the Bandhwari landfill. C&D waste constitutes one of such waste materials. Currently, the civic body’s concessionaire is paying a third-party agency to clear the C&D waste from the landfill.MCG officials said instead of disposing of the waste, it can be incorporated by the civic body itself and used as a raw material while laying the base layer of roads and footpaths.

“The matter was put forward for discussion before the F&CC committee and was verbally approved. We are now working on compiling a proposal and sending it to senior MCG officials for consideration,” said Satyawan Singh, superintending engineer (SE), MCG.

Currently, the MCG purchases raw material at a rate of nearly ₹40 per cubic feet. Officials further said, at its optimum capacity, the trommel machine can separate daily waste of around 50-60 tons of C&D waste, which, if used in road and footpath construction, will not only help in recycling of waste but also save the MCG their funds for purchasing of raw material.

As per a senior MCG official privy to the matter, when waste is lifted from different parts of the city, C&D waste often gets mixed up with wet, dry, and other types of waste before being eventually dumped at the landfill. First, the bio-remediation process is initiated at the landfill that involves spraying of liquid with a high content of bacteria that decomposes organic material.After 3-4 weeks of this process, the mixed waste is then screened via the trommel machine, which segregates waste into different types, including C&D waste, manure, and residual derived fuel (RDF).

“The MCG’s proposal will club the utilisation of all three wastes together. We’ll have to wait and see whether one, two, or all three of them get approval at the same time so that the next steps can be initiated,” said a senior MCG official privy to the matter.

Around 850 tonnes of C&D waste is dumped every day in the city, according to an estimate by the civic body.

“C&D waste layers are ideal for footpaths, cycle tracks, village, and internal city roads. However, these cannot be used for roads which have heavy vehicle movement, such as master roads and highways as stretches with layers of C&D waste tend to have a low-weight bearing capacity. In such stretches, roads can easily sink or be riddled with potholes if the base layer consists of C&D waste. Hence, MCG needs to be cautious and selective when finalising stretches where they intend to use C&D waste,” said Sewa Ram, an urban transport systems design expert and a faculty member at the School of Planning and Architecture (SPA), Delhi.

Recycling of C&D waste is not an entirely novel venture for the MCG. On December 5, last year, MCG’s C&D plant opened in Basai. Depending on the C&D load, the plant is capable of processing 300-1,800 tonnes of waste every day.The plant recycles items such as kerbstones, tiles, pavement blocks, concrete bricks, and concrete aggregate products such as gravel, sand, stones, concrete, items primarily used in construction. As part of its agreement with its concessionaire, MCG receives around 10% commission fee for the sale of any product processed and recycled at the plant.

Notably, as part of the Graded Response Action Plan (Grap) measures, the MCG has collected nearly 2.5 lakh metric tonnes of C&D waste from different parts of the city last week.