Municipal Corporation to install mobile compactors under Rs 143 crore waste management plan in Jalandhar

In a move aimed at tackling Jalandhar’s worsening garbage management crisis, the Municipal Corporation (MC) has floated Rs 143 crore tender for an integrated solid waste management project for a period of three years.

“Under the proposal floated in February, the civic body plans to procure around 400 mini vehicles for door-to-door garbage collection and install nearly 20 portable (mobile) compactors across the city to streamline collection, transportation, processing and disposal of waste,” officials said.

Reportedly, the plan comes as a revision of the corporation’s earlier proposal to install static compactors across the city, announced in June, last year. Officials said, “The strategy has now been reworked to incorporate portable compactors and door-to-door collection system expanded, aimed at improving waste handling efficiency.”

Explaining the shift, MC Commissioner Sandeep Rishi said, “Static compactors require permanent civil infrastructure, including sheds and designated sites, which significantly increases costs and limits operational flexibility.”

Under the earlier system, garbage collected from streets was to be transported to designated dump yards where it was to be unloaded and transferred into static compactors using truck mounted hooks. These compactors are stationary units which compress large volumes of waste into smaller compact loads. The compacted waste is then loaded onto larger transport vehicles and ferried to processing or disposal sites, making it a cumbersome process.

However, under the revised plan, garbage collected through door-to- door vehicles will first be brought to designated transportation centres where it will be compacted using mobile units before being transported to the processing facility.

“As part of the project, we are looking for around 10 acres of land near the Wariana dump site to set up a waste processing plant. At the facility, garbage will be scientifically segregated and treated. Reusable material will be sent for recycling, and organic waste will be converted into compost. Only residual waste will be sent to landfills,” Rishi said.

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Two portable compactors installed at Burlton Park

Providing further details, a senior MC official said one of the key reasons behind the corporation’s shift from static compactors to mobile compactors was the high cost associated with static units.

“For now, the corporation has installed two portable compactors at Burlton Park last month, but these have yet to start functioning,” he said. “There is a plan to install another two compactors in the coming weeks with each costing around Rs 17 lakh,” the official said.

The solid waste management has remained a long pending civic challenge in the city with streets, flyovers and busy market areas frequently grappling with garbage accumulation.

According to officials from the MC’s health branch, Jalandhar generates nearly 500 tonnes of garbage every day. Of this, only 355 tonnes is processed daily while the remaining waste is dumped at landfill sites.

“Of the total garbage generated, around 145 tonnes is wet waste of which only 16 tonnes is processed through home composting, seven tonnes is used for cattle feeding and around 20 tonnes is treated through bio-waste generators (BWGs),” officials added.

Responding to concerns, MC Commissioner Sandeep Rishi said, “The proposed integrated project is expected to significantly resolve the city’s persistent waste collection, transportation and processing issues.”