When waste is not segregated at source, it becomes hard to process, and civic agencies simply offload it at landfills. However, if you take the trouble to separate plastic from veggies and other waste, both composting and recycling become viable
Hyderabad has trouble booting up segregationHyderabad could sit higher in India’s Swachh rankings if only its people segregated their garbage at home. For years, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has nudged them to do this. It ran citizen participation campaigns and even distributed two bins per household. But a recent survey showed only a quarter of its waste is segregated at source.
So, the task of segregating the city’s 7,000-odd tonnes of daily garbage largely falls on the Hyderabad Integrated Municipal Solid Waste Limited (HiMSW) facility in Jawahar Nagar. Waste collectors, who pick up about 270 tonnes of waste daily from homes, also do their bit by removing recyclable materials and selling these directly to recycling units.
Data from HiMSW operator Re Sustainability shows plastic makes up one-seventh of Hyderabad’s daily waste. This includes polyethylene terephthalate (PET) commonly used in bottles, polypropylene (PP), high-density polythene (HD) and low-density polythene (LD) used in packaging, etc.
Despite the national ban on single-use plastic (SUP), it forms about 13% or 915 tonnes of Hyderabad’s daily waste as plastic carry bags are still available at vegetable, fruit, meat and other markets across the city.However, instead of recycling this waste – as environmentalists recommend – Hyderabad mostly burns it to generate energy. Its existing waste-to-energy (WTE) plant processes around 1,500 tonnes of waste daily to generate 24MW power. Another plant of the same capacity will be ready by June next year, and a third WTE plant of 14.5MW capacity is in the pre-commissioning stage at Dundigal. It will burn 800 tonnes of waste daily.
The city also has a plastic recycling unit of 20-tonne capacity that converts plastic into granules and LD bags, primarily for biomedical waste collection. On average, it recycles 17 tonnes of plastic daily, with 5 tonnes turned into bags and the rest into granules for plastic moulding units.
No check, Chennai’s recycle bin is choking
Hundreds of tonnes of plastic waste in Chennai ends up in landfills because most households do not segregate their waste. Greater Chennai Corporation’s (GCC) own data shows only 38% of the waste is segregated.
This is partly because residents are not penalised for not segregating waste. But the civic agencies are equally to blame as they mix all the waste collected from doorsteps. They also do not have infrastructure for second-tier segregation.
As a result, it is not clear how much of Chennai’s 5,200 tonnes of daily waste is plastic, although bio-mining of waste at the landfills suggests the figure is around 7%. GCC processes 400 tonnes of plastic every week at its incineration plants in Manali and Kodungaiyur, and at its material recovery facilities.
At Chennai’s two mega-landfills, TOI saw dumpers unloading on the already mountain-like heaps. Bags, covers, wrappers and hard boxes made up most of the plastic waste.
Geo Damin, a solid waste management (SWM) expert who was part of Tamil Nadu’s SWM committee, said landfills cannot be eliminated because non-recyclable waste, such as sachets, has nowhere else to go.
“The Union government has given guidelines on what should enter landfills and what shouldn’t. But we are not following this,” Damin said, adding, “most of the plastic, including shampoo bottles and detergent containers, can be segregated and reused”. However, multilayer juice and milk cartons are currently impossible to recycle because they have alternating layers of aluminium and paper.
What is the way out? Damin suggested giving incentives to the waste collectors at landfills. Environmental scientist Darwin Annadurai said changing public behaviour is crucial. “People are too lazy to use alternatives like cotton bags. The market is also filled with items packaged in plastic. If we carry containers and use our own cotton bags, we can restrict plastic use to some extent.” Thereafter, segregating waste at home will reduce the plastic going to landfills.
For now, GCC is getting rid of plastic waste by supplying it to cement plants. Its chief engineer for solid waste management, N Mahesan, said they shred about 400 tonnes of plastic every week and will increase it to 500 tonnes soon.
Garbage grows, but Bengaluru has an operating system for it Tech capital Bengaluru puts out 6,000 tonnes of garbage daily and is not a laggard when it comes to processing it. Data from Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) shows waste is collected from all households and about 60% is segregated.
Every day, about 2,000 tonnes of wet waste (food waste, for example) is sent for composting to multiple processing centres, and 1,400-1,600 tonnes of dry waste, including 600 tonnes of plastic, goes to 124 dry waste collection centres (DWCCs).
The good news is that all of this plastic waste, plus 700-800kg of plastic seized by marshals and corporation staff, is sent for recycling.
“No plastic waste is sent to the landfill in Bengaluru,” says Harish Kumar, CEO of Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited and special commissioner (solid waste), BBMP. “All DWCCs daily send out plastic waste to three recycling units empanelled by the BBMP. We are also in the process of setting up recycling units near the landfill to recover any material fit for recycling,” he adds.
When it comes to single-use plastic (SUP), which was banned last year, the city has been strict but its task is made difficult by plastic manufacturing units outside its jurisdiction. Kumar says most of the trucks seized last year with SUP had come from Gujarat and Tamil Nadu.Nonetheless, marshals scout for plastic stores across the city, and Kumar says, “Be it the suppliers, hoarders or the public, anybody found using SUP is penalised.” Over a year, the city has collected Rs 2.4 crore in fines for using SUP, registered more than 50,000 cases and seized 71 tonnes of plastic.
Next up is a plan to build a 600 tonnes-per-day waste-to-energy plant at Bidadi in collaboration with Karnataka Power Corporation Limited.
Wakati taka hazitenganishwi mahali zinapotoka, inakuwa vigumu kuzitengeneza, na mashirika ya kiraia huzipakua tu kwenye mahali pa kuondoa taka. Hata hivyo, ikiwa utachukua shida ya kutenganisha plastiki kutoka kwa mboga na taka nyingine, wote wawili compostage na kuchakata kuwa hai Hyderabad ina shida ya kuanzisha kutenganisha Hyderabad inaweza kukaa juu katika orodha ya Swachh ya India ikiwa tu watu wake walitenganisha taka zao nyumbani. Kwa miaka mingi, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) imewasukuma kufanya hivyo. Ilifanya kampeni za ushiriki wa raia na hata kusambaza mabati mawili kwa kila nyumba. Lakini uchunguzi wa hivi karibuni ulionyesha kwamba ni robo tu ya taka zake zinazotenganishwa mahali zinapopatikana. Kazi ya kutenganisha takriban tani 7,000 za taka za kila siku katika jiji hilo inategemea kampuni ya Hyderabad Integrated Municipal Solid Waste Limited (HIMWL) iliyoko Jawahar Nagar. Wanakusanyaji wa taka, ambao hukusanya takriban tani 270 za taka kila siku kutoka kwa nyumba, pia hufanya kazi yao kwa kuondoa vifaa vinavyoweza kuyarudishwa na kuuza moja kwa moja kwa vitengo vya kuchakata. Takwimu kutoka kwa mwendeshaji wa HiMSW Re Sustainability zinaonyesha plastiki inafanya sehemu ya saba ya taka ya kila siku ya Hyderabad. Hii ni pamoja na polyethylene terephthalate (PET), ambayo hutumiwa katika chupa, polypropylene (PP), polyethylene yenye unene wa juu (HD), na polyethylene yenye unene wa chini (LD), inayotumiwa katika ufungaji. "Hata hivyo, licha ya marufuku ya kitaifa ya plastiki ya matumizi moja (SUP), ni asilimia 13 au tani 915 za taka za kila siku za Hyderabad, kwani mifuko ya plastiki bado inapatikana katika masoko ya mboga, matunda, nyama na mengine kote jijini. ""Hata hivyo, badala ya kuchakata taka hii, kama wasimamizi wa mazingira wanapendekeza, Hyderabad inaziteketeza zaidi ili kuzalisha nishati." Kiwanda cha Waste-to-Energy (WTE) kinachotumia takriban tani 1,500 za taka kila siku kutengeneza umeme wa 24MW. Kiwanda kingine cha WTE cha uwezo huo kitakuwa tayari kufikia Juni mwaka ujao, na kiwanda cha tatu cha WTE cha uwezo wa 14.5MW kiko katika hatua ya kabla ya kuanzishwa huko Dundigal. Kituo hicho kinaweza kuchoma takriban tani 800 za taka kila siku. Mji huo pia una kitengo cha kuchakata plastiki cha uwezo wa tani 20 ambacho hubadilisha plastiki kuwa chembe na mifuko ya LD, haswa kwa mkusanyiko wa taka za biomedical. Kwa wastani, kampuni hiyo hutumia tena tani 17 za plastiki kila siku, na tani 5 hutumiwa kutengeneza mifuko na zingine kutengeneza granuli kwa ajili ya vifaa vya kutengeneza plastiki. Chennai: Mimea ya plastiki ya aina ya Chicken & Cheese imepelekwa kwenye majumba ya kutupia taka kwa sababu watu wengi hawafanyi kazi ya kutenganisha taka zao. Takwimu za Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) zinaonyesha kuwa 38% tu ya taka imegawanywa. Hii ni sehemu kwa sababu wakazi si kuhukumiwa kwa ajili ya kutokuwa kutenganisha taka. Lakini mashirika ya kiraia pia yana hatia kwa kuwa huchanganya taka zote zilizokusanywa kutoka kwa milango. Pia hawana miundombinu ya kutenganisha watu wa ngazi ya pili. Kwa sababu hiyo, haijulikani ni kiasi gani cha taka za kila siku za Chennai 5,200 ni plastiki, ingawa uchimbaji wa taka katika majumba ya taka unaonyesha takwimu hiyo ni karibu 7%. GCC inashughulikia tani 400 za plastiki kila wiki katika viwanda vyake vya kuchoma moto huko Manali na Kodungallur, na katika vifaa vyake vya kurudisha vifaa. Katika maeneo mawili makubwa ya kuondoa taka ya Chennai, TOI iliona magari ya kuondoa taka yakifungua kwenye rundo la ardhi lililokuwa tayari kama mlima. Mifuko, vifuniko, vifuniko na masanduku magumu yalifanyiza sehemu kubwa ya taka za plastiki. Geo Damin, mtaalam wa usimamizi wa taka ngumu (SWM) ambaye alikuwa sehemu ya kamati ya SWM ya Tamil Nadu, alisema mabaki ya taka hayawezi kuondolewa kwa sababu taka zisizoweza kurejeshwa, kama vile vifurushi, hazina mahali pengine pa kwenda. Serikali ya Umoja imetoa miongozo juu ya nini kinapaswa kuingia kwenye mabaki na nini hakipaswi. "Lakini hatufuati hii, ""Damin alisema, akiongeza, ""plastiki nyingi, pamoja na chupa za shampoo na vyombo vya kuosha, zinaweza kutenganishwa na kutumiwa tena.""" Hata hivyo, vifurushi vya maji na maziwa vyenye tabaka nyingi kwa sasa haiwezekani kuvirudia tena kwa sababu vina tabaka za alumini na karatasi. Kuna njia gani ya kutoka? Damin alipendekeza kutoa motisha kwa wakusanyaji wa taka katika majumba ya taka. Mwanasayansi wa mazingira Darwin Annadurai alisema kubadilisha tabia ya umma ni muhimu. <unk>Watu ni wavivu sana kutumia mbadala kama mifuko ya pamba. Pia, soko limejaa vitu vilivyopakwa plastiki. Ikiwa tunabeba vyombo na kutumia mifuko yetu ya pamba, tunaweza kuzuia matumizi ya plastiki kwa kiwango fulani. <unk> Baadaye, kutenganisha taka nyumbani itapunguza plastiki kwenda kwenye majumba ya taka. Kwa sasa, GCC inapoteza taka za plastiki kwa kuitoa kwa viwanda vya saruji. Mhandisi mkuu wa usimamizi wa taka, N. Maheshan, alisema kampuni hiyo inakataza kutengeneza plastiki kwa kiasi cha tani 400 kila wiki na itaongeza kwa tani 500 hivi karibuni. Bengaluru ni mji mkuu wa teknolojia na mji mkuu wa teknolojia, na kila siku hutupa takriban tani 6,000 za taka, na sio wachache sana katika usindikaji wake. Takwimu kutoka Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) zinaonyesha taka hukusanywa kutoka kwa nyumba zote na karibu 60% imegawanywa. Kila siku, takriban tani 2,000 za taka za mvua (kwa mfano, taka za chakula) hutumwa kwa ajili ya ufumbuzi katika vituo vingi vya usindikaji, na tani 1,400 hadi 1,600 za taka kavu, ikiwa ni pamoja na tani 600 za plastiki, huenda kwa vituo 124 vya ukusanyaji taka kavu. "Hii ni kwa sababu ""mchanganyiko wa plastiki"" unajumuisha plastiki ya 700kg iliyokamatwa na maafisa wa polisi na wafanyikazi wa kampuni hiyo, ambayo inatumwa kwa ajili ya kuchakata." "Hakuna taka za plastiki zinazopelekwa kwenye mahali pa kuondoa taka huko Bengaluru", anasema Harish Kumar, Mkurugenzi Mtendaji wa Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited na kamishna maalum (matope thabiti), BBMP. Wachunguzi wote wa DWCC hutuma taka za plastiki kila siku kwa vitengo vitatu vya kuchakata vilivyoorodheshwa na BBMP. Pia tuko katika mchakato wa kuanzisha vitengo vya kuchakata karibu na mahali pa kuondoa taka ili kupata vifaa vyovyote vinavyofaa kwa kuchakata, "aongezea. Kwa upande wa plastiki ya matumizi moja (SUP), ambayo ilipigwa marufuku mwaka jana, jiji limekuwa kali lakini kazi yake imezidiwa na vitengo vya utengenezaji wa plastiki nje ya mamlaka yake. "Kama ilivyoelezwa hapo juu, ""Mashtaka ya kupeleka bidhaa za plastiki kwa watu wa kawaida, kama vile wafanyabiashara, wauzaji, na wauzaji wa bidhaa za plastiki, ni ya kawaida, na kila mtu anayepatikana akitumia SUP ataadhibiwa,"" alisema." Kampuni hiyo pia inatarajia kujenga kiwanda cha kutengeneza nishati kutoka kwa taka cha kutengeneza nishati ya tani 600 kwa siku katika mji wa Bidadi, kwa kushirikiana na kampuni ya Karnataka Power Corporation Limited.