Salem Corporation to set up five centres to segregate dry non-biodegradable waste

Salem Corporation to commission five dry non-biodegradable waste segregation centres using Swachh Bharat Mission funds, making city garbage-free.

The Salem Corporation will commission in a month five centres across the city to segregate dry non-biodegradable waste. The centres are under construction at ₹4.25 crore from the Swachh Bharat Mission funds.

The Salem Corporation, with 60 wards across the four zonals — Kondalampatti, Ammapet, Suramangalam, and Hasthampatti —generates 550 tonnes of solid waste a day. These are collected from 2.38 lakh households, 25,457 commercial establishments, 78 daily markets, and the old and new bus stands.

The garbage collected from every household is segregated into biodegradable and non-biodegradable wastes. Biodegradable waste is sent to the 36 micro-composting centres to be processed and converted into manure.

The local body plans to set up centres at five places—Chettichavadi, Kakkayan burial ground, Seelanaickenpatti, Meyyanur, and Thadampatti—to segregate dry non-biodegradable waste collected in all the 60 wards. The plastics and iron scrap will be sold to recycling plants. 

Corporation officials said that out of the five centres, each coming up at ₹85 lakh, work has been completed for two centres - at Meyyanur and Seelanaickenpatti - and trial runs were under way for the past two weeks. Construction of the remaining three centres will be completed soon.

Each centre will handle 10 tonnes of dry non-biodegradable waste a day. The guidelines for these centres are being prepared regarding fixing charges for the waste sent to recycling plants, etc. Within a month, the works will be completed and the five centres will be commissioned, the officials added.