LG flags lack of source segregation; directs pilot testing of Indore Model in MCD zones

According to IMC officials, the residents are instructed to follow 100 per cent source segregation under up to six categories — wet, dry, hazardous, e-waste, sanitary and plastic. The door-to-door collection was started in two wards out of the 85 wards in the city and the target of 100 per cent collection was achieved within a year. This enabled the city to remove public dustbins and open dumping — primary sources of open-air garbage accumulation.

A case study conducted by Earth5R, an environmental NGO, explains that the IMC achieved their milestones by conducting identification studies to determine the exact waste generation and population of each ward to create detailed route plans for collection vehicles. A fleet of over 600 GPS-enabled vehicles was deployed. The study states that these trucks feature separate chambers for each waste category and follow optimised routes, monitored in real-time via a centralised command center.

The study claims that the IMC also held campaigns for residents and partnered with NGOs to integrate ragpickers within the city’s waste management infrastructure. To ensure segregation, the IMC introduced spot fines and penalties for non-compliance, alongside incentives for those who adhered to the guidelines.

As per government portal Smart City Indore, the city generates 1,115 tonnes of waste per day, of which 58.25 per cent is wet or organic, 41.75% is dry and 0.5% is household hazardous and sanitary waste. Dry waste is processed at Material Recovery Facilities for industrial recycling and scientific processing, while wet waste is composted preventing piling up on streets or landfill sites.

An MCD official claimed that the adoption of the model has its own set of challenges. “It’s too early to say how the pilot testing will go or which zone will be chosen, but source segregation is definitely one of the major problems that we have to counter,” he said.

The official said that a team will be sent to Indore this week for a research on the city’s waste management system and to find ways to adopt its components for the pilot testing programme in Delhi.