Amritsar MC’s waste mgmt plan hits roadblock as garbage collection remains inconsistent

Tribune News Service

Neha Saini

Amritsar, June 29

The long wait for the implementation of the wet waste management project in Amritsar seems to be over as the municipal corporation (MC) has taken initiative to set up wet and dry waste composts for recycling garbage into manure. The plan had been waiting for implementation due to the General Elections. The MC will now set up five compost units in Gol Bagh, Bhagtanwala, Chali Khuh, Nariangarh and near Chabal Road.

While it’s done, the collection of waste remains the biggest roadblock. The waste collection process in the city has been inconsistent with intermittent breaks of several days as the garbage collection company that was awarded contract by the MC for waste collection failed to comply with the required logistic support. Shortage of garbage collection trucks, manpower and funds led to suspension of door-to-door waste collection in almost all residential areas and hotel industry clusters inside the walled city.

As per the MC records, Amritsar generates 500 tonnes per day (TPD) of solid waste that includes 300 TPD of wet and 200 TPD of dry waste. While the MC had come up with the policy on solid and liquid resource management (SLRM) years ago, its on-ground implementation had remained another story.

MC Additional Commissioner Surinder Singh had directed all commercial establishments and institutions to install compost machines for wet waste management on their premises at a meeting held yesterday. He agreed that several commercial establishments were not complying with the guidelines of National Green Tribunal (NGT) and Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, whereby it was mandatory for all such units, which generated 100 kg of wet waste daily, to install waste management machines, he said, while adding that the MC would be cracking a whip on violators from now on.

“As per NGT’s guidelines, commercial and educational establishments that generate over 100 tonnes of waste every day have to manage it themselves. The MC, for that matter, is not responsible for their waste collection or management. While few such commercial establishments manage waste, majority of them fail to comply with the directions. We will be keeping a close watch on them,” he said. He also shared that MC had charted out a waste management plan for solid, wet and other waste generated in the city. As for the garbage collection, he says, “There are still some challenges in terms of logistics, including number of vehicles and manpower required, which have to be addressed.”

City generates 500 TPD waste every day

As per data, the corporation processes 140 TPD of solid waste out of 500 TPD waste generated every day through formal/informal waste collectors and rag pickers. Besides, waste is bailed/stored for sale to plastic waste processors and junk dealers. The MC processes 70 TPD of wet waste out which 60 TPD is sent to compost pits and beds.

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