Thane Municipal Corporation to use garbage to generate electricity

While Mumbai, Thane and surrounding areas struggle to deal with waste management issues, the TMC is busy augmenting its capacity to process waste. The civic body is readying itself not only process C&D waste (construction and demolition) and generate electricity from garbage collected in Thane, but also its neighbouring areas.

From next week onwards, the Thane Municipal Corporation’s (TMC) C&D waste plant at Daighar will be operational. This plant has a capacity to process 300 metric tonnes of C&D waste daily. “The waste material from construction sites like debris, metal, etc., will be brought here for processing. It will be converted into bricks, paver blocks, sand, etc., which can again be used for construction purposes,” said Ashok Burpulle, deputy municipal commissioner, TMC-Waste management department.

The plant is ready and is undergoing quality test. “It will be operational in the next three to four days,” he said. TMC has kept a budget of Rs 8 crore for this plant.

Similarly, a waste to energy solid waste management plant is under construction at Daighar where solid waste will be used to generate electricity. The construction of this plant will be in two phases, with each phase having the capacity to process 600 tonnes of waste daily into electricity which will be given away to MSEB (Maharashtra state electricity board). The construction of first phase is on, and the plants will be operational in the next 18 months. Since Thane generates 600 tonnes of garbage daily, the plant is capable of handling waste from other municipal corporations as well. TMC have earmarked an amount of Rs 10 crores for this plant.