BMC turns tree debris into compost for a cleaner city….Aakriti Vasudeva
Think Green – The debris, including branches and leaves, turns to dust in a matter of minutes using a shredding machine
Mumbai To deal with the menace of tree debris dumped all over the city, the Tree Authority has come up with an innovative method of shredding the remains and using them as compost.
Earlier, there was no proper method of tree waste disposal and residents said the debris was an eyesore, dumped haphazardly, even causing hygiene problems. So this monsoon, we decided to address this issue, said Avinash Kubal, nominated member of the Tree Authority and Deputy Director of Maharashtra Nature Park (MNP), the premises where the project is under way.
The Tree Authority, a committee under the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), monitors the growth and maintenance of trees in the city. As part of this initiative, junior officials collect tree remains of trimming and pruning activities when they are on their rounds and these are then transported to MNP. There, the debris, including branches and leaves, turns to dust in a matter of minutes using a shredding machine. It is then treated with microbes and spread around trees in the park.
This is the first time such a method is being adopted. We procured the shredding machine last year, but have only used it this year for shredding tree remains, said Suhas Karvande, deputy municipal commissioner(DMC), Garden Department. We began in May this year. Currently, remains from the south Mumbai area upto Sion are being treated. Suburbs arent included yet as the cost of transportation is high and space is also a constraint, Kubal added.
He indicated that machines for the western and eastern suburbs will be procured next year if the project works this year. However, Karvande was skeptical. The machine is costly and also it has restricted mobility. We will see how it goes, he said.