CHENNAI: The total waste generated in Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) may reach 11,793 metric tonnes per day by 2040, according to a study conducted by a consultant appointed by the GCC.
The study was done as part of a feasibility report prepared for establishing an Integrated Waste Management Facility at Madhavaram near Kodungaiyur. The facility is expected to generate Rs 5,705 crore in revenue over 20 years through the sale of electricity and value-added products such as processed bottom ash, brick made from bottom ash, and compost, the report said.
The city currently generates an average of 6,143 metric tonnes of waste every day. Following the report, the city corporation has decided to scrap its earlier decision to set up two separate facilities for dry and wet wastes and decided to go for a single integrated facility.
“Dry waste processing is generating profit but wet waste processing is incurring loss. Financial neutrality can only be achieved by combining them both,” the report said. As per projections, 9,735 metric tonnes of waste will be generated per day in Chennai by 2035. Existing processing facilities can only process 3,102 metric tonnes and a facility is needed to process the additional 6,633 tonnes of waste.
The project is to be implemented in two phases. A 21MW power plant that generates electricity from waste, a 1,200-tonne capacity automated material recovery facility to process recyclable materials, and a 550-tonne CNG plant will all be part of phase 1 of the project. The waste facility will be a Public Private Partnership (PPP) unit built under the Design-Build-Finance-Operate-Transfer (DBFOT) model, sources said.
“As we clear the legacy wastes in Perungudi and Kodungaiyur dump yards through bio-mining, wastes that are sent to these landfills should also be reduced. This integrated facility has been planned to address the need to handle more waste and to increase our processing capacity,” N Mahesan, chief engineer, the solid waste management unit of the corporation, said.
The proposal for the integrated facility has been sent to the Tamil Nadu Infrastructure Development Board (TNIDB). After its approval, it will be sent to the state government for administrative sanction, source said.