GCC launches drive to improve waste segregation

A large-scale waste collection drive ‘Kuppai Thiruvizha’ was launched across 200 wards in the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) limits on Wednesday.

The objective of the drive is to ensure “zero waste to landfill” by preventing the movement of waste to dumping yards and facilitating its conversion into usable resources. The initiative is also being conducted as a State-level festival aimed at encouraging members of the public to shift from the practice of dumping waste to handing it over in a responsible manner.

The three-day drive will continue until January 23. On the first day of the drive, unused and discarded materials were collected, after being segregated separately at the source across the wards. The official added that the total amount of waste will be weighed the following day.

The materials collected included old paper, plastic waste, broken wooden articles, damaged electronic equipment, unusable glass items and cardboard boxes. The segregated waste was taken up for conversion into reusable resources or for removal through designated disposal mechanisms.

Health Inspectors were appointed to monitor and oversee the collection and segregation activities during the drive. The exercise is being carried out simultaneously in all 200 wards under the GCC limits.