Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation targets 100% waste segregation by year-end
The civic body is segregating 86% of the garbage, which is the highest by any civic body in Maharashtra.
The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) does not seem to have lost its enthusiasm to keep the city neat and clean even after the Swachh Survekshan survey is over.
Its garbage segregation has increased by 1% after the survey.
The civic body is segregating 86% of the garbage, which is the highest by any civic body in Maharashtra.
The NMMC is determined to achieve 100% segregation by the year end.
The satellite city was declared the cleanest city of Maharashtra, and was ranked the eighth cleanest city of India in the 2017 Swachh Survekshan survey.
The civic body had taken steps to get the tag of ‘the cleanest city of India,’ before the start of the survey in February.
The rankings for this year’s survey will be declared by April-end, a senior official said.
Read more: After its cleanliness overdrive, exam day nears for Navi Mumbai civic body
“During the Swachh Suvekshan survey, our garbage segregation was 85%. After the survey was over, we directed our officials to pay more attention and we have seen some positive results,” said Tushar Pawar, deputy commissioner of NMMC (solid waste management).
“Everyone was assuming that the percentage of segregation will fall after the survey. We have proved them wrong. Our percentage has increased by 1% after the survey. Given the initiatives taken by us, it will not be difficult to achieve 100% garbage segregation by year-end,” he said.
Echoing the same sentiment, Ramaswamy N, municipal commissioner, said that it was possible to ensure 100% garbage segregation in this city.
“We are committed to proper collection, segregation and composting of the garbage collected in the city. Keeping this in mind, we started a drive ‘My garbage, my responsibility’ last year. We have been working towards that since the beginning of this year,” he said.
The NMMC is taking steps to decentralise the garbage composting systems. The civic officials have asked the big housing societies, hotels, restaurants and shopping malls to compost their own garbage.
“We have one garbage composting unit at Turbhe. Two other units are being planned at Airoli and Digha. The garbage collected from across the city will be sent to the units. That will help in ensuring better waste management process in the city,” Ramaswamy said.
The municipal corporation collects around 650 metric tonnes of garbage every day, of which, around 200 metric tonnes are wet waste.
The NMMC has given the contract for collecting e-waste to a private company. The civic body has plans to install around 100 bins for collecting e-waste across the city.
Pawar said, “Even in neighbouring Mumbai, the civic body has not adopted the means to collect and segregate waste, the way we have done. But to get the results, residents need to be educated about segregation. Therefore, we are thinking of roping in college students for the project. College students can organise awareness camps and street plays to create awareness among residents.”
Pawar said some industrial units are processing e-waste, thus the housing societies need to find means to process the e-waste generated in residential areas.
What is Dry Waste?
Paper, plastic, metal, glass, rubber, thermocol, Styrofoam, fabric, leather, rexine, wood – anything that can be kept for an extended period without decomposing.
What is wet waste?
Wet waste consists of kitchen waste – including vegetable and fruit peels and pieces, tea leaves, coffee grounds, eggshells, bones and entrails, fish scales, as well as cooked food (both vegetarian and non-vegetarian).
What is e-waste?
E-waste is broken or old electronic gadgets, including parts of computers, television sets, stereos, copiers, mobile phones, chargers of phones, electric cables, batteries and fax machines, which contain toxic but reusable materials that can be recycled.
