City garbage to be collected by side-loading vans
The compactors also have separate compartments for wet, dry and electronic waste.
Mumbai: In a first for the country, side-loading compactors will be used to lift garbage in Mumbai. The BMC has decided to hire these machines which are beneficial for both waste collection and traffic movement. The compactors also have separate compartments for wet, dry and electronic waste.
Civic officials said that these compactors had the capacity to lift dustbins directly from their location and offload the contents into the vehicle. About two to four side-loading compactors will be provided, as per the size of the ward.
A senior official from the solid waste management department said, “The compactors will collect garbage from housing societies and waste collection centres, and carry it to the dumping ground.”
Along with the side-loading compactors, the BMC has decided to hire 645 compactors. Of the 645, 399 will be big compactors with a capacity of 6 metric tonnes while 246 will be small compactors with a capacity of 2.5 metric tonnes. These compactors will have facilities like Global Positioning System (GPS), Radio Frequency Identification Number (RFID) Reader, and separate compartments for wet, dry and e-waste so that these do not get mixed with each other. The compactors will be used in all the wards in a phase-wise manner.
Among the 24 wards, the compactors will first be used in Malad (P-North) and Goregaon (P-South) wards from August 21. The BMC will use 48 big and 14 small compactors in these wards. In the remaining 22 wards, the compactors will be used phase-wise over the next six to eight months.
The compactors will be hired from contractors, who will be paid according to every round and weight. “The payments will be made based on the report prepared by online GPS and the RHID Reader system. Every garbage-carrying vehicle will have a RHID tag, which will provide information when the dustbin was lifted. The contractor will be penalised if the bin is not lifted. The compactors will be weighed every time after being filled and emptied, and the information will be available online in real time,” said the official.