All open dump yards in the city will soon be replaced by fully covered transfer stations equipped to manually sort out mixed waste and transport refuse to Bandhwari processing plant in closed containers.
Three of eight transfer stations proposed for the city are already operational across Gurugram. Ecogreen Energy, the agency responsible for integrated solid waste management in the city, said these three stations have a combined capacity of transferring 300 tonnes of solid waste daily.
CEO Ankit Aggarwal said it usually takes three-to-four months to make a transfer station operational after they are provided land by the government.
He said three transfer stations are already functional at DLF Phase-V, Atul Kataria Chowk and Beri Wala Bagh, and that three more are expected to be ready in two months. The other transfer stations will come up near HSIIDC office, Sector 29, Carterpuri Gaushala, Kadipur and Tekri.
Municipal solid waste from various residential areas and commercial premises is received through tippers or rickshaws at these transfer stations, which are equipped with material recovery facilities to collect dry waste separately and to manually sort out mixed waste.
The balance waste is compacted in compactors for further transportation to Bandhwari processing plant.
Stating that open dump yards, which are not just an eyesore but also a breeding ground for various diseases, will soon be a thing of the past, Mr. Aggarwal said, “With elimination of open dumps, the issue of waste burning will also get resolved and help reduce air pollution levels by about 30%. Carbon emissions will also get eliminated in the process.”
No C&D waste
Emphasising that Ecogreen was only responsible for door-to-door collection and transportation of solid municipal waste, Mr. Aggarwal said construction and demolition waste, biomedical waste and e-waste were outside of the purview of the agency.
He added that the proposed waste-to-energy (WTE) plant at Bandhwari to generate electricity will become functional by next August at a cost of ₹502 crore.
Emissions of pollutants
Dispelling environmental concerns, Mr. Aggarwal claimed that emissions of pollutants from the WTE plant will be monitored constantly to adhere to international standards.
He said the technology used in the plant was designed to meet all environment norms as per the country’s regulations and all environment parameters were displayed outside the plant at their international projects.
Mr. Aggarwal said the agency will launch its website and app over the next fortnight to provide the residents information on its mandate, help track waste collection vehicles, make complaints and pay user charges online.
He said all the agency’s vehicles involved in waste collection were fitted with global positioning system devices and are monitored real time.