Aafrin Kidwai 
The Rourkela Municipal Corporation (RMC) has dropped its plan to set up a municipal solid waste plant which was proposed more than a decade back but failed to take off.
Instead, the civic body has decided to set up 10 micro composting centres (MCCs) to meet the challenge of scientific garbage disposal. While three MCCs started functioning from Monday, five others would start in a month with an aim to convert Rourkela into a garbage-free city, reports The New Indian Express.
The MCCs would act as primary dumping points for segregated wet and dry waste. While the wet garbage would be processed into manure, single use plastic waste will be supplied to a cement manufacturer.
RMC Deputy Commissioner Sudhanshu Bhoi said that three MCCs have been made operational and it is in the process of procuring 10 battery operated vehicles (BOVs) in the first phase for garbage collection from source points.
RMC Commissioner Dibyajyoti Parida said the civic body has roped in women self-help groups for maintenance and operation of seven MCCs. Areas under RMC limits generate 75-80 tonne of wet waste and 50-55 tonne of dry garbage daily. Proper waste disposal continues to be a major challenge for the city.
Picture Credit: Rourkelalites, Rourkela Railway Station 1, CC BY-SA 4.0
