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City’s solid waste generation reduces due to pandemic: MCC


Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, Aug 13, 2020: Mangaluru City Corporation generates an average of 335 tonnes (in 2019) solid waste per day, but this year, it has dropped to 270 tonnes per day in the last six months.

 

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According to MCC officials, the pandemic has given a breather for the city’s solid waste generation, which otherwise increases 5%-6% every day. A case study from 2015 claims that the city’s average waste production was 226 tonnes, and in a span of five years, it was up by 125 tonnes.

However, this April, the city’s waste production reeled back to almost 6-7 years, where only 192 tonnes of solid waste was generated per day. As of today, the per capita waste generation is around 550 grams per day.

“This April, the city generated an average of 192 tonnes per day, and last year in April, it was 323 tonnes per day. In June it increased to 310 tonnes per day. Though solid waste generation dropped, biomedical waste generation has doubled,” said Madhu S Manohar, environment engineer, MCC.

Explaining about how the waste generation has dropped, Madhu said bulk solid waste generators in the city are markets, hotels, and wedding halls.

“All these establishments were shut for months due to restrictions. Though the market was kept open and there was a restriction on operating hours. As a result the waste generation was reduced,” Madhu told TOI.

There was no change in the generation of household waste and it remained same as before, Madhu added. Though solid waste generation dropped, biomedical waste generation has doubled, said Madhu.

He added that apart from regular waste, MCC is also segregating biomedical waste such as gloves, face masks and others.

“We are collecting them separately and disposing them through deep burial. Of late, the quantity of masks has been reduced as most of them switched to reusable masks,” MCC environment engineer Madhu pointed out.



courtesy:TOI