Sambalpur: The Sambalpur Municipal Corporation (SMC) has been earning revenue from the garbage collected door-to-door, an official said. The civic body is earning around Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 2 lakh every month by selling the recyclable waste generated from households and commercial establishments. The recyclable waste is purchased by an agency that has been selected by a tender process, said SMC Deputy Commissioner, Subhankar Mohanty. All the households under the SMC area have been covered under the door-to-door garbage collection facility.
More than 130 vehicles including 80 battery-operated vehicles of the SMC are collecting the garbage from door to door. The garbage collected from households and commercial establishments is brought to wealth centres, which comprise a micro composting centre (MCC) besides a material recovery facility (MRF). The biodegradable waste generated in the city is converted into compost at the MCC.
Similarly, the non-degradable waste is brought to the MRF and segregated there. After segregation, while the non-recyclable waste is sent to a cement factory to be used as fuel, the recyclable waste is sold to the selected agency. The city generates around 110 metric tonnes of waste, including around 55 metric tonnes of nondegradable or dry waste daily.
Currently, nine wealth centres are operational in the city and the SMC is also developing two more wealth centres. There are 16 types of recyclable waste, including glass, paper, cardboard, metal, plastic, tires, and textiles, which are sold to the selected agency. Different items are sold at different prices. “The SMC has been selling the recyclable waste, generated during door-to-door garbage collection, since August 2021. The money generated from each centre is utilised for the staff members engaged there. So far, the civic body has already earned more than Rs 25 lakh from the recyclable waste,” said the SMC deputy commissioner
