‘Zero waste’ plan begins in Dwarka

NEW DELHI: In a bid to provide a comprehensive solution to the waste problem in its jurisdiction, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation has launched its zero waste management plan and has implemented it, on pilot basis, in Dwarka (ward 38 S) on Saturday.

The civic agency, which has already started segregating and composting solid waste at 47 societies last month, will now follow the procedure in all 182 societies.

SDMC will take segregated waste from each society and use the wet waste for composting.

“We will form clusters and earmark spaces (most probably the dumping sites) for regular composting of bio-degradable waste collected. The number and depth of composting pits will depend on the amount generated,” said a senior SDMC official.

The approximate quantity of municipal solid waste collected from these 182 societies is 41 metre tonne per day and the civic agency is assuming to cut down the amount of waste by 80% with the successful implementation of waste management plan, said official. On Saturday, SDMC had organised a detail workshop with the RWAS of various societies in Dwarka. Their representatives were explained in detail the process involved in waste management and how they can contribute to make the project a success.

“We created awareness among residents of the ward and need to segregate waste as wet and dry. They were also taught about the ways to segregate the waste. Later, we requested these RWA members to ensure the garbage is segregated at source, as it is mandatory under the Municipal Solid Waste Management Rules 2016,” said Vishwendra, deputy commissioner, Najafgarh Zone.

“They were also explained how the proper segregation and processing of waste within colony will save 70-80% of transportation cost. For example, if the bio-degradable will be used for composting and dry for recycling then only non-recyclable products will require to transport waste to energy plant,” said senior SDMC official.