Govt wants ‘100 per cent waste segregation’, civic bodies across Maharashtra say will take time

It further says that waste processing plants are proving unsuccessful due to non-segregation of waste, further necessitating the implementation of 100 per cent segregation at source from May 1.

For the initiative’s effective implementation, the UD has asked urban local bodies to organise workshops involving all stakeholders, including elected representatives, officials, self-help groups and NGOs. It has also asked the civic bodies to run awareness programs through hoardings, banners and social media.

The GR has clarified that the responsibility for waste segregation should be fixed on those who generate it, including individual families, housing societies, hotels, shops, offices and commercial establishments.

“Three bins for wet, dry and domestic waste should be provided in the specific colours of green, blue and red respectively. The bins should be bought using Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds and not the funds received under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan or from the 14th Finance Commission,” states the GR.

Also, the reincorporation of the waste should be done in covered, GPS-installed vehicles. In-situ processing plants for wet waste should be set up, it adds.

However, officials across the state said they would need time to achieve the 100 per cent target. Sanjay Deshmukh, additional municipal commissioner of the BMC, said they have already increased waste segregation from 22 per cent to 45 per cent over the past eight months. “We will increase our efforts further to achieve it. Besides, funds will be raised through CSR for the bins,” said Deshmukh.

Another official from the BMC said it was difficult to predict a deadline for achieving 100 per cent segregation in the city. “Mumbai cannot be compared with cities like Nashik. It has a different topography. Almost 60 per cent of the population here lives in slums, where such initiatives can be difficult to implement. It may take years,” said the official.

Aurangabad Municipal Commissioner DM Mugalikar said they had organised a programme to honour the staff working in the solid waste department and had given them ‘friendship bands’ to encourage them. “While we have already given wet and dry bins to the people, we will now buy bins for domestic hazardous waste through CSR funds. It will take some time to procure and distribute them. The major role in waste segregation is of public participation, which may take some time,” said Mugalikar.

Vilas Walgude, additional municipal commissioner of Ahmednagar, said they had started awareness programmes. “We have got positive responses from organisations for this. For the bins, we are exploring CSR options. It will take some time to buy and distribute the bins,” said Walgude.

Suresh Jagtap, joint municipal commissioner of Pune, claimed that around 50 per cent of the city’s waste was being segregated at present. “We have given green and white bins to societies in the past few years. We will have to change the colour of the white bins. We will buy and distribute the red bins. We will follow the other guidelines too,” said Jagtap.