VIJAYAWADA: In an effort to reduce biodegradable waste at source, Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) has advised owners of hotels, restaurants and eateries to make arrangements to construct on-site compost plants to generate organic fertilisers.According to a rough estimate, there are about 100 hotels and restaurants in different parts of the city. They produce huge quantities of degradable and non-degradable waste making the job difficult for solid waste managers and sanitary workers. The waste includes use-and-throw plastic water bottles, carry bags, plastic cups, ice cream cups and others. They also dump food waste, leftovers and vegetable waste in the dust bins provided by the Corporation.
The civic body mooted the idea to reduce the output of garbage from big establishments which ultimately have to dispose waste at the dumping yard in Pathapadu village. A few days ago, Municipal Corporation Commissioner J Nivas convened a meeting with members of hotel association and explained the importance of establishing composting unit at their premises.
“Representatives of some of the institutions readily agreed to do so immediately,” said Dr Babu Srinivasan, VMC Chief Medical and Health Officer. The institutions would be provided technical support in designing and operating the compost units. Sanitary inspectors have been designated for each of the three circles in the city to provide technical guidance to the hotels, he said.
Srinivasan informed that as per Solid6 Waste Management-2016 rules, the bulk producer of solid waste including hotels, restaurants, marriage halls and hostels have to set up facilities on their premises to treat and recycle the waste. Nivas instructed hoteliers to segregate dry and wet wastes at the source point in two different bins. Zonal officers have also been asked to monitor the progress of creating solid management facilities at hotels and restaurants.