CHENNAI: As the city corporation begins awareness sessions ahead of implementing the fine for non-segregation of waste at the domestic level, three zones Madhavaram, Kodambakkam, and Adyar have achieved around 80% source segregation, according to corporation officials.
“We are very particular about not burdening people with fines so we have now targeted these three zones where around 80% source segregation has been achieved. In other zones, the source segregation is about 60-70% and we are pushing for more,” a senior corporation official told TNIE.
In May, the city corporation had said that a fine of Rs 100 will be levied for failing to segregate domestic waste as per the Solid Waste Management Bylaws. However, the civic body has planned to extend the cooling off period for residents to create awareness before implementing the fine.
“The idea is to implement spot fines. Whenever we find waste is not segregated, they will be asked to pay immediately. So we don’t want to jump into it straight away. A call will be taken after an internal meeting as to when it will be brought into effect,” said corporation official from the solid waste management department.
In order to study how source segregation is being implemented in Indore, which reportedly achieved 100% success in 2016 and has eliminated garbage dumps, a team of Chennai corporation officials had recently visited the city.
In the meantime, the corporation has asked DBC (Domestic Breeding Checkers) to start compiling names and contact numbers of residents ahead of starting the process of implementation. “We will collect details of owners and tenants along with their phone and door numbers.
As we collect this information, we are also reiterating the need to segregate waste by themselves before handing it over,” said a DBC worker. At present, conservancy workers who are collecting waste from door-to-door broadly categorise unsegregated waste handed to them before dumping them into marked bins in their battery operated vehicles.