“Bio-mining process involves segregation of waste into reusable and non-reusable products. We have bio-mined a large portion of the waste, and kept the segregated reusable waste separately inside the yard. Once the COVID-19 lockdown is further relaxed, it will be sent to industries as raw materials. The work will be completed before January,” said a Corporation official.

Dumping of waste at the Pallikaranai dumping yard was stopped several years ago, and the premises is presently used as a transit facility. The yard that is spread over 14 acres has 37,509 cubic metres of legacy waste. Along with the Pallikaranai yard, the civic body commenced bio-mining at Athipattu dumping yard near Ambattur and Sathangadu dumping yard in north Chennai. However, the civic body could not expedite bio-mining at the latter sites.

“We could only complete 10 per cent work at Athipattu and Sathangadu because of the delay in arrival of the machinery owing to the pandemic situation. Once the situation normalises, the work will start in full pace,” the official added.

The major products obtained from bio-mining process are bio-earth, which is soil sieved from the legacy waste, and plastic bags, wood, rubber, glass and clothes. While bio-earth would be sold for the agricultural purpose, other products would be sent to factories to be recycled or used as fuel. The unusable products include construction waste, stones and other such waste.

Meanwhile, the civic body has invited bidders to carry out bio-mining work at Perungudi dumping yard, which is also located on a portion of Pallikaranai marshland. “The 200-acre land is being dumped with garbage for more than 30 years. The project has been designed to reclaim the marshland and leave the reclaimed land as a marsh. There will be no construction activity taken up at the site once reclamation work is completed,” the official said.