“The Central act states that disposal is mandatory only for those who generate 100 kg of garbage or more daily. However, the State government wants this to be done by all hotels and establishments,” said M Venkedasubbu, president, TN Hotels Association, adding that hotels, even the major ones, generate only around 30 kg garbage daily. 

Also, while the Food Safety Act of the Central government demands that garbage be kept in air-conditioned rooms to prevent decomposition and spread of harmful bacteria, the State government wants us to keep the garbage in our premises till it decomposes and then be used as fertilizer, he elaborated. The State government has not consulted any stakeholders nor understood the ramifications, Venkedasubbu added.  

In a recently-held meeting, Arcot municipality officials had reportedly asked local hotels to comply with the State government’s directive. However, one hotelier said they would follow the order if the local body allotted them land for waste management as most hotels were on rented premises. When contacted, Vellore Corporation Commissioner C Vijayakumar said, “We have asked hotels and commercial establishments to comply with the State’s direction immediately.” As of now no deadline has been set for its implementation and there will be no penalty for non-compliance, he added. 

“A total of 175 establishments including hotels function in Vellore. If this move is successful, it will reduce the city’s daily garbage collection by 45 tonnes from the existing 220 tonnes,” Vijayakumar said. 

Meanwhile, the Vellore corporation had decided to call for tenders to outsource the daily transportation of saleable, non-degradable plastic waste to a private cement unit in Ariyalur. The cement firm has agreed to effectively dispose the waste through the process of incineration.