Tuesday, 27 June 2023 | PNS | DEHRADUN
The operation of the new waste management plant in Kotdwar is expected to start in October, said the additional municipal commissioner of the Municipal Corporation of Kotdwar (MCK) Azhar Ali. He said that the corporation is also working on segregation and disposing of the maximum quantity of garbage before it reaches the waste management plant. He said, “We want to ensure minimum waste ends up in the plant for processing as it is easier and practical to dispose of garbage near the source rather than transferring it from residential and non-residential bodies to the plant.
Single-use plastics and organic wet waste are currently our main concern and we are working to minimise their accumulation in the plant.” He said that the sanitation teams of the municipality are raising awareness among people under the anti-plastic campaign. To provide locals with an alternative to single-use plastics, they are planning to install vending machines for biodegradable bags across the city. “People usually say that they have to use single-use plastics when they shop without planning so we have decided to install vending machines of biodegradable bags in main areas of the city to make these accessible to people. We are also planning to install an incinerator in the waste management plant to dispose of sanitary napkins and similar waste that people usually mix with daily garbage to ensure such trash does not end up unnecessarily in the plant,” stated Ali.
He said, “The corporation collects about 500 metric tonnes of garbage daily. We are planning to process the maximum quantity of dry waste in the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) and the remaining will be segregated and processed in the waste management plant accordingly.” He said that the corporation is in the process of getting necessary approvals from authorities concerned to start the operation of the plant like getting environment clearance and others. “We have already procured the necessary machine and equipment to install in the waste management plant. It will take at least two to three months more to get all the required process done and the operation of the plant is expected to commence in October,” added Ali. He also shared that considering the waterlogging and associated issues in the city during monsoon, the corporation will also set up a disaster control room to ensure people can contact them easily.
