Societies to get space for setting up compost plants

Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will now provide space to housing societies that are facing a space crunch for setting up vermi-composting plants. This will not allow them to offer excuse of space crunch for carrying out waste segregation and processing, said civic officials.

The BMC had made it compulsory for bulk  waste generators to dispose of wet waste on their premises only. They include big housing societies, five-star hotels, malls and industries, which produce more than 100 kg of waste daily and have an area of more than 20,000 square metres. The bulk waste generators have been asked to provide facilities such as organic waste converter, vermi-composting and bio-methanation in their backyard to treat the waste at the source.

“Many bulk generators have complained that they do not have enough space to set up waste processing plants in their premises. In such cases, it has been decided that BMC will provide them space at its waste segregation centres or municipal lands to set up their own waste processing plants,” said a senior civic official.

The bulk generators will have to set up plants at their own cost. The deputy municipal commissioners have been asked to submit action plan regarding this to the civic chief within 15 days, he added.

Of the 3,376 bulk waste generators, who have been issued notices, 120 have been slapped with MRTP notices, while action has been taken against 222 societies under the Environment Protection Act.