more-in The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) is set to make composting at source mandatory for all housing societies, corporate bodies and hotels generating wet garbage of 100 kg or more per day. NMMC officials say the civic body is the first in the Mumbai metropolitan region to implement the rule to make composting mandatory. A three-month deadline to comply with the Soil Waste Management Rules 2016 has been given to the 2,000 housing societies and 90 hotels in NMMC that generate 100 kg and above of wet waste per day. The Solid Waste Management Rules were revised last April by the Environment Ministry after a gap of 16 years. NMMC civic chief N. Ramaswamy said, “We aim to take waste segregation under Swacch Bharat Abhiyan and Swatch Navi Mumbai Abhiyan a step further. We have installed a composting machine at Army Colony, Sector 9, in Nerul, for a week on an experimental basis. “More machines will be installed and compost pits constructed in large gardens so people can learn how to make compost out of wet waste at source level.” Mr. Ramaswamy said classes on composting will be held at schools and colleges to spread awareness among students. Tushar Pawar, deputy municipal commissioner, solid waste management, said, “We did not implement the rule at the beginning because we wanted to first educate the citizens about the importance of waste segregation. Now, 80% of waste is segregated and so we have decided to implement the Soil Waste Management Rules 2016.” To achieve 100% waste segregation by March 1, 2018, the NMMC has roped in a theatre group to create awareness of waste management through street plays in 28 gaothans and 48 slum areas. NMMC will pay the theatre group ?4,000 for each performance. The NMMC’s Solid Waste Management Department started waste segregation on June 1, 2016. The civic body made it mandatory for all housing societies, residents’ associations, industries, and hotels to separate wet (biodegradable) and dry (recyclable) waste before handing it over to the municipal staff. From June 25 this year, the NMMC has also been segregating e-waste.

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