The Salem Corporation has proposed to set up micro composite centres in 16 areas in the city limits for the production of organic manure using food, fruit and vegetable wastes.
These projects will be set up under the Smart City programme.
Of the 16 micro composite centres planned, work on half a dozen centres are progressing in the first phase, according to Corporation sources.
The Corporation had already launched the programme of segregating the biodegradable and non-biodegradable wastes at source itself. It had distributed two different colour buckets for the collection of garbage and had already created awareness among the residents of 2.40 lakh households in 60 wards in the city.
The Corporation had already pressed into service 110 battery operated vehicles for the door to door collection of wastes after segregating them at source.
The collected food, vegetable and fruit wastes would be decomposed at the micro composite centres adopting modern technology. Later it would be converted into organic manure.
The source said that the Corporation had proposed to procure 100 more battery operated vehicles for the collection of garbage within a month. It has been planned to press atleast two vehicles for the collection of garbage in the small wards and from two to four in the wards with higher households.
Three corporation wards would get a micro composite centre. The organic manure would be marketed and the sale proceeds would be utilised for giving salary to the workers employed in these centres.
The sources said that the Corporation has also planned to use the open space available in the centres for raising horticulture crops using organic manure. The Corporation will create water and other facilities for the cultivation of the same.