Says your backyard isn’t a landfill, but a goldmine
The Planning Commission has forwarded a detailed report on solid waste management to the Delhi Government, emphasising the use of solid waste for energy purposes. Based on this voluminous work of the Planning Commission, all the recommendations are being forwarded to three municipal corporations.
The recommendations suggest setting up of treatment plants to recover maximum possible resource and energy from wastes. This will help reduce the size of waste going to landfill and ensuring better public health facilities. The report has laid emphasis on smart management of solid waste, taking into account the role of information communication technology system in tracking and routing the solid waste.
The Commission’s report has suggested a creation of Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) and the new PPP module to establish the processing plants. It has suggested separate collection and transportation of domestic (trade and institutional waste), inert waste such as street
sweeping and silt traps from surface drains. Inert waste should be kept away from biodegradable and recyclable waste to facilitate smooth processing of solid waste. At the same time, the municipal authorities should put in place plastic waste management system in order to facilitate plastic reuse, recycling and energy recovery.
Meanwhile, the Planning Commission’s task force has recommended that the municipalities should make a judicious plan of establishing decentralised and centralised facilities in their respective cities — taking into account availability of suitable land, community support, availability of operators — for the facility and environmental concerns.
Despite aforesaid firm recommendations, Delhi has got only one waste to energy plant in Okhla where 16 MW electricity is produced every day. Encouraged by this project, another waste to energy plant is likely to be operational in Gazipur by October. Thereafter, one more plant is being proposed in Bawana by the end of this year. However, the slow pace of establishing waste to energy plants may get momentum in the light of firm recommendations by the Planning Commission.