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Dimapur, May 29 (EMN): Management of mixed waste in the north-eastern states requires focused attention from municipalities and people, as it can affect the physical environment and waterways by contaminating groundwater and surface water, while the microbial degradation of wet waste causes Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions.
The wastes can also spread rodents and pests, therefore affecting agriculture and wildlife, remarked Solid Waste Management Programme Officer at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) Dr. Richa Singh during a webinar on May 29.
Singh observed that the available options for remediation were through biomining of dumpsite where the entire waste is treated, land is reclaimed and the waste fractions are used for gainful applications. Another was through bio-capping of dumpsite with leachate collection and treatment, and the other option was through hybrid model (biomining and bio-capping) where a fraction of waste is treated and fraction of land is reclaimed, waste are used for gainful applications and rest of the unused waste is bio-capped.
Stressing on landfills in hilly areas in the Northeast region, she said the construction of landfill on a hill should be avoided and a transfer station at a suitable enclosed location should be set up to collect residual waste from the processing facility and inert waste. A suitable land should be identified in the plain areas down the hill within landfills in hilly areas 25 km for setting up sanitary landfill and the residual waste from the transfer station should be disposed of at this sanitary landfill. In case of non-availability of such land, efforts should be made to set up regional sanitary landfills for the inert and residual waste.
The key consideration for landfills in the Northeast region is that the landfill sites should meet the specifications as given in Schedule-III of the SW Rules, 2016 – with special focus on site selection, site investigation, ecosystem type, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to name a few.
The landfill should be suitable for receiving only non-biodegradable, non-recyclable, non-combustible and non-reactive inert waste, residues of waste processing facilities and inert while landfilling of mixed waste should be avoided.
She also pointed out that under unavoidable circumstances or till installation of alternate facilities, land filling should be done following proper norms.
On the criteria for operations, she suggested that waste should be compacted in thin layers to achieve maximum capacity of landfill and the landfill cell should be covered at the end of each working day with minimum 10 cm of soil, inert debris or construction material.
During monsoon she suggested prior to the commencement of the season, an intermediate cover of 40-65 cm thickness of soil should be placed on the landfill with proper compaction and grading and proper drainage system should be constructed to divert run-off away from the active cell of the landfill.
However, advocating zero landfill Northeastern states for the future generations, she shared that the roadmap to a zero landfill city can be achieved by a complete ban on landfilling of wet waste and combustible waste is imposed as a legal mandate. Scientific landfill to be used only for a negligible amount of residual wastes should reach the sanitary landfill which can be about 10-15% of the total quantity while underlining that fresh wastes are not taken to the dumpsites.
Municipal Solid Waste CSE Programme Director, Atin Biswas stressing on the solid waste management in northeast, maintained that through the support from CSE it can create opportunities to undertake massive rigorous information educational campaigns and behavioural change campaigns to make solid waste management inclusive, enforce source segregation through bye-law as nonnegotiable, switch to decentralised approach to minimise operating expenses and maximise recovery, impose landfill tax, ban landfilling of biodegradable and combustible waste, re-design concessionaire agreement and capacity building of all ULBs to prepare and implement City Solid Waste Action Plan (CSWAP).