Dumping of fresh waste may render biomining efforts futile at Ariyamangalam

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Mounds of fresh waste continue to be dumped at Ariyamangalam in Tiruchi. | Photo Credit: R. Selvamuthukumar

Frequent machinery breakdown and inadequate maintenance at Micro Composting Centres (MCCs) across Tiruchi are hampering waste processing, with a portion of the city’s garbage being sent directly to the Ariyamangalam dumpyard.

Tiruchi generates about 470 tonnes of municipal waste every day. The city had 39 MCCs across five zones, with each centre processing between five and 10 tonnes of waste daily.

Sanitation workers collect waste through door-to-door collection and segregate it into biodegradable and non-biodegradable components at the composting centres. The biodegradable portion is processed into organic manure while recyclable waste is sold to scrap dealers.

However, several composting centres have become non-functional due to faulty equipment, particularly shredding machines. Inadequate maintenance and delay in repairing the equipment has aggravated the problem. In some instances, unsegregated waste is being transported directly to the Ariyamangalam dumpyard.

The continued dumping of fresh waste has raised concerns over the Corporation’s efforts to reclaim the Ariyamangalam site through biomining.

Spread over nearly 47 acres, the Ariyamangalam dumpyard continues to receive tonnes of waste daily even as the Corporation is working to clear the accumulated legacy waste. Officials said biomining had helped reduce some of the larger garbage mounds and reclaim portions of the site. However, arrival of fresh waste threatens to undermine the gains.

The Corporation has so far made significant progress in clearing legacy waste through the biomining project. During the first two phases, nearly 11 lakh cubic metres of accumulated waste were cleared at a cost of ₹74 crore.

In addition, around 1.95 lakh tonnes of refuse-derived fuel (RDF) generated during the first two phases were transported to cement manufacturing units for use as a substitute for conventional fossil fuels.

Under the third phase, about 6.17 lakh tonnes of waste is being processed at an estimated cost of ₹44.01 crore.

A senior Corporation official said repair work would be undertaken in a phased manner to restore the functioning of the composting centres and ensure that waste was processed effectively.

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