Greater Chennai Corporation has designated special places for disposal of construction and demolition (C&D) waste in each zone. The work to set up the facility is in different stages.
In Thiruvottiyur (Zone 1) and Shollinganallur (Zone XV), the yard construction work has not started.
In Madhavaram (Zone 3), efforts to construct a warehouse near the CMDA Truck Terminal are underway. The zonal officer of Zone 3 said that they are in the process of creating awareness about the upcoming facility so that the public can use it when it is ready. Warehouse in Zone V (Royapuram) has started operations.
In recent months, illegal dumping of construction and demolition waste has drawn a lot of criticism from citizen groups. Providing a designated area for dumping construction waste is a good step as it will ensure that only segregated waste enters the site and waste is also recycled.
Company officials, however, said that the facility in each zone will only be responsible for clearing “unauthorized debris” found on roads and unwanted areas. They will not clear such waste from individual homes or commercial establishments.
“Currently, the standard operating procedures given to us talk about clearing waste from areas where it is not always found because this causes pollution and environmental degradation,” said the GCC engineer. “If the GCC has to start collecting C&D waste from individual residents, then they will have to pay a fee depending on the amount of waste. This will prevent people from throwing in public places but the mechanism needs to be implemented,” said the engineer.
Currently, construction and demolition (C&D) waste from Tondiarpet, Royapuram, Thiru. Vi. Ka. Nagar, Anna Nagar, Teynampet, Kodambakkam and Adyar zones were transferred to Premier Precision Private Limited which collects, transports and processes them at the dumpyards at Perungudi and Kodungaiyur.
The waste collected from the remaining 8 zones is transported directly by GCC.
The GCC levies fines ranging from ₹2,000 to ₹5,000 for illegal dumping of C&D waste, but residents wonder how this is being done.
According to the Construction and Demolition (C&D) Waste Management Rules 2016, the responsibility for disposing of construction waste rests with the person or entity that generates the waste. The law also states that urban local bodies are responsible for enforcing these rules.
Vidyasagar Jagadeesan, a resident of Pallikaranai, felt that the GCC could bring the debris under door-to-door collection. “If you charge a fee then the public will throw it anywhere to avoid the fee,” he said, adding that the date and time for collecting debris should be decided and communicated. “If one zone or ward does this, it will become popular and continue.”
Make the most of the construction debris
What happens to the debris generated from the demolition of the building? In most cases, this waste is dumped near water, roads or taken to landfills. If treated scientifically, construction and demolition waste can be recycled and used to reduce the supply gap in the industry. This will help to conserve good quality rock aggregate resources and reduce environmental degradation due to quarrying activities.
Surender Singh, assistant professor, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT-Madras, says there are lessons Chennai can learn from Hyderabad on how to handle C&D waste. Privately run factories in Maharashtra also have lessons to learn.
“Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation conducts C&D waste collection from homes. Depending on the amount of waste to be collected, vehicles of different sizes are pressed into service. There is also a toll-free number that residents can call to avail the service.
Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation undertakes collection of C&D waste from homes. Depending on the amount of waste to be collected, vehicles of different sizes are pressed into service. There is also a toll-free number that residents can call to avail the service.
Residents also have the option of transporting C&D waste generated from renovation or small building repairs to the nearest plant using a vehicle. Both of these services come with required user fees.
According to the GHMC website, the user fee is ₹ 388.75/MT, and if the generator transports waste to the plant site, the user fee is ₹ 97.20/MT.
Godrej & Boyce, the flagship company of the Godrej Group, opened a plant in the Mumbai suburb of Vikhroli, which collects and processes C&D waste sold to companies. Recycled concrete waste is used to make customized precast concrete products such as box culverts and channels, and is used in several major infrastructure projects in Mumbai, notes on the website said.
“This initiative helps reduce pressure on mines for more rock and sand aggregates, and reduces carbon dioxide emissions. Disposing of C&D waste in landfills will also reduce it,” said Surender.
Cost of transportation and obtaining permission from local bodies are some of the bottlenecks in C&D waste management in Chennai.
Greater awareness and incentives are also needed to encourage people to use recycled aggregates.
“There is a dedicated standard protocol such as 20-25% of crushed concrete waste can be used in the construction of new buildings and 100 percent in non-structural projects such as laying a footpath and paver blocks,” said Surender.
Two types of aggregates can be extracted from C&D waste. “Recycled aggregates that are all waste fragments (bricks, concrete rubble, clay and ceramics) and recycled concrete aggregates (RCA) produced by crushing concrete rubble. Because RCA is a single-phase material, its suitability is higher,” said the professor which specializes in C&D waste management.
As per guidelines brought out by Road Congress of India, C&D waste can be used on all categories of roads including National Highways. The use of waste aggregates in road works is a widely accepted practice in countries like Denmark, the US, the UK, France and Japan, the report said.
He added that there must be a continuous supply of input and output materials for the plant to be economically viable. A market should also be created for recycled products.
