CDA launches pilot project to segregate solid waste

Islamabad : The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has launched a pilot project to segregate solid waste with an aim to reduce environmental pollution and use items for recycling on a commercial basis.

The civic agency and an international donor agency have formally signed the agreement to implement the project initially in selective residential sectors of the federal capital.

Now the civic agency would educate the residents to separate their solid waste into two groups i.e. organic and inorganic. It will also further segregate them into recyclables and hazardous wastes.

It is a critical requirement since it enables recycling, reuse, treatment, and scientific disposal of different components of waste.

Sorting out waste makes it easier to understand how to reduce general waste output, identify items that can be reused, and set aside others that should be recycled. Waste segregation practices and a workforce that understand the importance of sorting waste prevent items suitable for recycling from being thrown away with general waste.

An official informed that approximately 700 tons of solid waste are collected and transported by the Sanitation Directorate and Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI) from the federal capital on daily basis.

He said that when solid waste is segregated, there is a reduction in waste, and air and water pollution rates are also considerably lowered.

“Segregating waste also makes it easier to apply different processes-composting, recycling, and incineration. The process of waste segregation will be thoroughly explained to the residents,” he said.

According to the experts, the residents would have to keep separate containers for dry and wet waste in the kitchen. They would keep two bags for dry waste collection- paper and plastic- and drop them into the dry waste bin.