Chennai: Treated byproduct to be reused in construction, parks
In the Perungudi facility centre, the wastes will be ground to 20 mm and 6 mm aggregates. “Then it will be ground into sand particles, which can be used for filling materials, and also as alternative sands for parks and construction,” added Bhanu Reddy.;
CHENNAI: The Greater Chennai Corporation, which has been conducting intense drives to collect construction waste, has collected a fine of Rs 14.20 lakh from 284 persons, and removed 1 lakh tonnes of debris from January 1 to April 10.
“As many as 566 people are employed to remove the debris in all 15 zones on a contract basis. A committee of three will monitor each zone,” said additional commissioner, health, V Jaya Chandra Bhanu Reddy.
In the Perungudi facility centre, the wastes will be ground to 20 mm and 6 mm aggregates. “Then it will be ground into sand particles, which can be used for filling materials, and also as alternative sands for parks and construction,” added Bhanu Reddy.
According to a press release from the civic headquarters in Ripon Building, two debris processing centres are operational at Perungudi and Kodungaiyur. Treated byproduct obtained from construction wastes can be used for road construction, concrete block curbing, foundations, and also an alternative sand in parks. Since 2022, the Corporation has cleared over 5.20 tonne of debris. So far, more than 4.85 lakh tonne of construction waste has been recycled.
The collected debris from each zone will be sent to the secondary collecting centres in the zone. This centre has a sprinkler facility to restrict the dust and CCTV cameras for surveillance, the release stated. “When a 1,000-tonne debris is processed, we get 250-300 tonne of sand that can be used for plastering and construction basement fillers. It will be sold at Rs 800-900/tonne, which is 40% cheaper than the actual sand. A few construction companies have bought the sand,” said S Sundhar, technical advisor, Westart Communication. “People should also use this as an alternative sand, as it’s similar to actual sand, and can reduce the cost of construction.”
The GCC has 201 vehicles such as tipper lorries, mini lorries, excavators and heavy machines to collect the debris. To restrict illegal dumping, each zone has a monitoring committee, and violators will be fined Rs 5,000. The wastes will be collected within 24 hours after intimation, the press release said.