Shimla: Efforts on to achieve cent per cent waste segregation

Shimla, February 14

The Shimla Municipal Corporation has a long way to go before it achieves cent per cent segregation of wet and dry waste. “Around 30 per cent of the households and most commercial establishments are not segregating their waste,” said Municipal Corporation’s Health Officer Dr Chetan Chauhan. As a result, the city’s Solid Waste Management Plant, Bhariyal, gets mixed waste, which reduces the efficiency of the plant. “The mixed waste lengthens the process of waste management and it affects our machineries too,” said Dinesh, an official from Elephant Energy, which is running the plant.

Reason for slip in shimla’s ranking

• Lack of waste segregation was one of the key reasons behind Shimla slipping last year in the Swachh Suvekshan-2021 survey
• Around 30% of the households and most commercial establishments are not segregating their waste, which reduces the efficiency of the city’s Solid Waste Management Plant at Bhariyal

The Municipal Corporation says efforts are being made to sensitise residents about the need to segregate the waste. Other steps are also being taken for more effective garbage collection and segregation of the waste. “In a week or two, we will get 34 trucks for garbage collection. Currently, we have pick-up vans for the purpose. The trucks will make the garbage collection more quick and efficient,” said MC Commissioner Ashish Kohli. “We are also getting four compactors through Shimla Smart City Mission. It will be a good addition to our garbage-collecting machinery,” he said.

Besides, he said, the MC is making efforts to set up a planned five-tonne waste-to-compost plant at the Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital (IGMC) for the treatment of wet waste. “We did not get any bidder twice for the plant. Even when the tender was floated for the third time, we had just one bidder. Now, we are writing to the government that the tender be awarded to the lone bidder,” said Kohli. Also, he said, we are looking for a space in the city where we can set up a few such plants with one-tonne capacity for turning wet organic waste into fertiliser.

Kohli said efforts to sensitise people were also underway. “We have released jingles on radio to make people more aware about the need to segregate waste. Unless people cooperate, cent per cent segregation will be difficult to achieve,” said Kohli. “Also, we have told our staff to be a little strict with the households who do not segregate their waste.”