Navi Mumbai: NMMC's Records Resounding Success With 3Rs

Recently more than 600 representatives from various organizations across the globe participated in a webinar conducted by Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) on 'Driving a Sustainable Future with Responsible Waste Management'. It focused on the 3Rs (reduce, reuse, and recycle) as part of waste management.  

NMMC has been taking a number of measures to manage waste and ensure that the least amount of waste goes to the dumping yard. From removing garbage bins from roads to starting the collection of hazardous waste from each and every society, the civic body does not compromise on waste segregation. The garbage collector vehicles do not lift garbage from societies where wastes are not segregated properly.

Airoli citizens give sanitation workers a day off, clean themselves

Not limiting the line 'My Garbage, My Responsibility' to slogans, 2,600 citizens of Airoli ward took the initiative to honor the sanitation workers by giving them a day off and cleaning the streets themselves with brooms in their hands. They showed their love and responsibility to make it neat and clean. Similarly, other wards also followed and thousands of citizens joined in the cleaning the road.  

Navi Mumbai voted as the cleanest city in India

Navi Mumbai emerged as the third cleanest city in the country in the “Swachhta Survey 2022” under the “Swachh Bharat Mission”. As always, Navi Mumbai secured the first position in Maharashtra. The city has, in fact, improved its position from the previous year’s fourth to third in 2022.

NMMC has been consistently performing well in the cleanliness survey and securing a place among the top 10 cleanest cities in the country.

For the last cleanliness survey, the civic administration had taken a number of new measures to give the city a completely new look. It took the help of students of J J School of Arts who decorated important joints, illuminated flyovers underpass with LED lights, made electric poles attractive, and paintings were drawn on the walls along railway tracks and highways. The civic body created awareness about cleanliness at mass levels. It did not lose opportunities to use any platforms for the cleanliness survey.

Notion of the donation shelf

“We came up with a unique concept of “'donation shelf”. It set up 30 shelves at different places in the city with the message 'give what you don't want, take what you want, where the citizens should bring their unwanted household items, clothes, and materials to the donation shelf and the needy will take them from that place. Earlier, these items were going to the dump yard,” said an official from the Solid Waste Management Department of NMMC.

However, the seven state-of-the-art sewage treatment plants, out of which Koparkhairane and Airoli plants can recycle up to 20 MLD effluents at the tertiary level, will supply water to industrial units, thereby saving drinking water and generating revenue from the sale of recycled wastewater.

In addition, the civic body started the 'Zero Waste Slum Model' and saved money on the transportation of waste. On an experimental basis, the civic body started the door-to-door waste collection at five slums namely Hanuman Nagar in Turbhe, Indiranagar in Turbhe, Advali Bhutawali, Samatanagar in Airoli, Bindumadhav Nagar in Digha. The collected wet waste is disposed of at compost peats in the same area. “This initiative received appreciation,” said the official.  

Important measures taken by NMMC for the cleanliness survey:

*The civic body made provision for 'Pet Corner' at various places to prevent pets from defecating anywhere

* NMMC installs a giant 28.5 feet tall flamingo sculpture made from 1790 waste machine parts from 26 different machines, with the concept of 'sustainable from waste'.

* Created a nature park at an old garbage dumping yard by planting 60,000 native species of trees

* Emphasis on dry, wet and hazardous household waste segregation at sources

*Wastes are converted into fertilizer, and plastic granules, making paver blocks of construction debris

* A special Grievance Redressal System is operational to register complaints regarding cleanliness and the complaints received are resolved within 24 hours.

*Tracking of garbage vehicles with RFID chip