The civic body has begun works to biomine the 4.45 lakh cubic metre of garbage accumulated in the Vendipalayam compost yard.
Municipal solid waste generated in the last 61 years is being dumped at Vairapalayam (7.4 acre) and Vendipalayam (19.45 acre) yards, which had accumulated to 0.90 lakh cubic metre and 4.45 lakh cubic metre respectively.
Frequent fire accidents, stench from waste, contamination of ground water led to frequent protests by people living near the two yards. Under the Smart City Mission projects, the civic body proposed to biomine the garbage at a total cost of ₹ 37.25 crore.
Work began at Vairapalayam in August last and is nearing completion.
Now, biomining work has begun at Vendipalayam compost yard.
The waste was first bioremediated and process is on to turn waste several times to remove stench and flies. About five tonne waste has been biomined in the plant that has a capacity to process 250 to 400 tonnes of waste a day.
Corporation officials said that the segregated sand would be used for agriculture, while the dry waste would be used as a fuel in cement factories. The entire process is expected to be completed in six months, after which the civic body would decide on putting the land to better use, officials added.
Residents in the area are heaving a sigh of relief now. Murugan, a resident, wanted the civic body to plant saplings in the compost yard to reduce the damage caused by dumping of waste in the last 61 years.