VIJAYAWADA: Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) has awarded contract to Vizag-based private company to set up two recycling plants to treat floral and e-waste at Mutyalampadu and Ajith Singh Nagar in a bid to reduce pollution levels. According to VMC officials, the city with 64 divisions generates around 550 MT of municipal solid waste (MSW) per day, including 200 MT of wet waste, which is processed as organic manure through onsite compost plants. The remaining comprises 20 tonne of vegetable and slaughter waste, 20 tonne of plastic waste, 15 tonne of floral waste and seven tonne of electronic waste.
In October 2020, the civic body has invited Requests for Proposal (RFPs) bids from agencies authorised to manage e-waste for a period of one year, including discarded electrical and electronic equipment, as per the norms of the State and central pollution control boards.
In response to the RFPs invited by the VMC, Vizag-based Green Waves Environmental Solutions and Global e-waste Management Systems of Goa submitted their proposals to establish the recycling plants.
After evaluating the bids submitted by the firms, the VMC has entrusted the task of establishing the plants to Green Waves Environmental Solutions, Vizag. To speed up the process, the VMC has recently allocated land to establish plants for treating floral and electronic waste.
Commissioner V Prasanna Venkatesh said that 756 square yards will be allotted to establish the plants and greenery should be developed in 25 per cent of the land. The company will have to pay Rs 20 per kg of e-waste to the civic body. Referring to the benefits of recycling flower waste, he said the VMC should be given 25 per cent share and around Rs1.21 lakh per month for leasing out the land. The collected waste should be recycled without harming the environment and without the possibility of pollution, he said.
The e-waste recycling plant will come up in 756 sq yards land at Mutyalampadu to treat the e-waste generated from electronic shops at NTR Complex among others. Similarly, 756 sq yards has been allocated at Ajith Singh Nagar to treat the floral waste generated from Rajiv Gandhi Wholesale Flower Market. The company will carry out all the operations, starting from collection of e-waste from residential, industrial, commercial and other areas under the VMC limits through designated bins and kiosks and transport them to its processing plant daily, the VMC commissioner added.