Thoothukudi Corporation strengthens solid waste management system

Corporation workers engaged in waste segregation at Jothi Nagar Centre in Thoothukudi on Sunday. | Photo Credit: N, RAJESH In an effort to give fillip to the implementation of Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules, 2026, Thoothukudi Corporation has ramped up initiatives to strengthen the SWM system and has planned projects for inert and slaughter waste.Following the implementation of SWM Rules, 2026, the Corporation has recently issued a statement stressing that unsegregated waste would not be collected from households from September 1. Efforts have also intensified to register bulk waste generators on the portal and ensure that facilities are established by them for processing of wet waste.According to Corporation officials, the local body has 21 micro composting centres, three resource recovery centres and one windrow composting centre. They added that waste is collected in four categories as per the SWM rules, 2026, such as wet waste, dry waste, sanitary waste and special care waste.“On an average, around 180 tonnes of waste is generated daily in Thoothukudi Corporation limits. The waste is collected by one RCV vehicle for every 800 households and taken to resource recovery centres for further segregation,” an official said.According to another official, apart from saleable waste that is regularly collected by sanitary workers for sale, wet waste is processed for an average of 42 days for manure production, which are further kept for sale at the divisional office at a minimal rate. Dry waste is being segregated and sent for further processing at cement factories, while sanitary waste and special care waste are being incinerated under proper monitoring.High-fibre waste produced from tree felling and other natural factors is being taken by Tuticorin Alkali Chemicals and Fertilizers Limited for production of sodium bi-carbonate and other products.Though such intensive steps are being taken by the Corporation, there have always been concerns about inert waste and slaughter waste. For effective disposing of these waste, there are plans such as waste to energy for inert waste and production of manure from slaughter waste through a dedicated processor.Efforts have also been intensified to find bulk waste generators and register them on the respective portal. Buildings or premises with built-up area of more 20,000 sq m or more, usage of 40,000 litres of water or more and production of solid waste exceeding 100 kg are classified as bulk waste generators. They must establish wet waste composters at their sites and hand over the dry waste to the corporation, the official said.Corporation Commissioner S. Priyanka said proper segregation of waste prevented it from piling up at the dumping yard. The Corporation had organised hundreds of awareness programmes since April 1 to sensitise people about waste segregation.Around 91 bulk waste generators within local body limits had been found and made to register. Warnings had been issued to commercial establishments and households that failed to segregate waste, and in some cases penalties were also being imposed, she added. Published - September 06, 2026 09:10 pm IST