Waste Turned Gold: City Earns Revenue from Trash

Nagercoil Corporation is successfully generating revenue through innovative waste management strategies. The corporation operates 10 Micro Composting Centres (MCCs) and six Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) across the city. Wet waste, such as food scraps, vegetables, and fruits, is processed at the MCCs into organic manure. This approach significantly reduces the volume of waste sent for disposal and promotes the reuse of biodegradable materials. In September, the sale of 1,745 bags of organic manure, each weighing 5 kg and priced at ₹30, contributed to the revenue. Concurrently, MRFs are used to segregate recyclable materials including plastics, paper, cardboard, coconut shells, and textiles, which are then sold. Plastic waste unsuitable for conventional recycling is sent to cement factories. These combined efforts generated ₹57,085 in September. This revenue is reportedly distributed among sanitation workers as an incentive, encouraging their active participation in the civic body's waste management initiatives and fostering a more sustainable environment.