2L tonnes of legacy wasted biomined at Appur landfill

Chennai: Within a year of starting the 36 crore biomining process at Appur landfill, Tambaram Corporation has biomined around one-third of the six lakh tonnes of legacy waste accumulated at the site for more than 15 years.The biomining project was undertaken to scientifically process old waste and reduce environmental impact of the landfill, said corporation commissioner S Balachander. With 35% of legacy waste biomined, the recycled waste will be used as raw material to make paver blocks.The civic body, which serves a population of 10.7 lakh spread over 85sqkm, generates about 450 tonnes of waste daily. The collected waste is taken to transfer points, including Kannadapalayam, Visweswarapuram, Thiruneermalai, and Chromepet, within its limits, where it is segregated and crushed, Balachander said. Each of these transfer points can hold around 12 tonnes of waste.After preliminary processing at transfer stations, the waste is transported by lorries to the Appur landfill for biomining. "Every day, vehicles make more than 20 trips to transport waste from the transfer points to the landfill," he said. "We are confident of biomining the remaining legacy waste by this year," he added.Residents, however, are concerned over poor waste management practices in several areas. Pallavaram residents welfare association president M Gandhi said that door-to-door waste collection is not being done properly in many localities. "In several areas in Pallavaram and Chromepet, the private contractor does not show up on a regular basis. Waste piles up on the interior roads," the commissioner said."Worse, water bodies such as Pallavaram Periya Eri, Nemilichery Lake, and Ramasamy Chetty Pond have become hotspots for dumping," he added. Corporation must strictly monitor waste transportation and ensure that garbage is not dumped, especially near lakes and ponds, he added.