Four dry waste collection centres to come up in MCC limits

To reduce the pressure on the dry waste unit at Pacchanady, the dumping yard of Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC), the local body is setting up four dry waste collection centres in its jurisdiction.

The work on two centres is nearing completion, MCC Commissioner Akshay Sridhar told DH.

A sum of Rs 70 lakh will be utilised for the purpose. The centres will have machinery to segregate dry waste, along with baling machine. The centres will come up at Surathkal, Mullakad in Kavoor, near Urwa Market and Jeppu Bajal. The dry waste collected from 15 wards each will be sent to these centres.

About 90 per cent of the work on the centres at Surathkal and Kavoor has been completed, the Commissioner said.

Antony Waste Handling Cell Private Limited, the private firm engaged in door-to-door garbage collection and transportation in Mangaluru, collects dry waste on Fridays in the city. At present, the dry waste is processed at Pacchanady, the dumping yard site. In order to reduce the pressure on Pacchanady, four more collection centres will be set up, Sridhar added.

According to sources, the dry waste will be compressed at the collection centres and will be sent for processing. The centres will have plinth area of 200 square meters. Nearly 250 to 300 tonnes of dry waste is collected per week in Pacchanady. In fact, public have been demanding to increase the frequency of dry waste collection for at least two days in a week.

Further, with the handling of solid waste emerging as a challenge, both in urban and rural areas, more than 8,000 houses, including apartments and other individual houses, are now converting wet waste into compost daily in Mangaluru city.

Apartments

There are over 1,500 apartments in the MCC limits. If each household is to turn one kg of wet waste into compost, then total garbage being dumped in Pachhanady would dip by nearly 30 to 40 tonnes, officials said.

Pot composting is one of the cheapest and affordable methods for every one, according to Ramakrishna Mission that has been promoting conversion of wet waste into manure in the households.