In the first week of August, the ward offices of Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) sent notices to housing societies to segregate waste at sources mandatorily or the civic body would not lift waste from the premises. Even the garbage collector vehicles of NMMC did not lift garbage in a few housing societies in Vashi for three to four days as they were not segregated.
Now, the civic body has clarified that citizens have to segregate waste, which is mandatory as per the Solid Waste Management Act 2016. Even the civic body has provided red bins to every society for storing hazardous waste. As per the Solid Waste Management (SWM) department, all housing societies, commercial complexes, or other establishments have to segregate dry, wet, and hazardous waste and hand it over to the civic garbage collection vans.
The civic body is eyeing the number one spot in the cleanliness survey and waste management is one of the important parameters. In addition, for better waste management at the dumping yard, it is necessary that waste be segregated at the source.
While a section of residents is segregating waste, the city's civic body is pushing for 100 percent segregation at the source.
The administration has taken up the drive for "Zero Garbage on Roads Now". Notices are being given to the societies that do not segregate the waste, and penal action will be taken against them. A fine of Rs. 250 will be levied on each house in the housing society for not segregating waste.
Divya Vaibhaw Gaikwad, a former corporator from Vashi, had raised a few concerns over the timing of implementation. She said that during the monsoon, if garbage is not lifted on time, it can create hygiene issues. In addition, there is also a lack of clarity regarding segregation. Earlier, the vehicles used to take segregated dry and wet waste in different plastic bags. Now, they are forced to even remove waste from the plastic bag in which wet waste is stored. The waste collection vehicles say that the plastic bag is itself dry waste and it cannot be given away with the wet waste. Normally, citizens store wet waste in black-colored plastic bags, and the garbage collector vehicle says that plastic bags are dry waste, and it cannot go with wet waste.
Amol Deokar, a resident of Ashtavinayak Apartments in sector 4 in Vashi who faced a non-lifting of garbage issue, said that the issue has been resolved as they are segregating waste. However, he said that the civic body should provide a greater number of garbage bins as sometimes bins overflow and emanate a foul smell. "Big housing societies face this situation," said Deokar.
