Ranchi: Plastic waste collected from villages in Ranchi district is being processed for use in road construction under the solid waste management component of Swachh Bharat Mission-Grameen (SBM-G).Dry waste collected from rural households is transported to a material recovery facility (MRF) in Ormanjhi block on the outskirts of Ranchi. At the facility, plastic waste is segregated, shredded and compacted before being sold to a third party for use in road-laying material.“Dry waste collected from the villages is brought to the Ormanjhi facility. Plastic is segregated, shredded and compacted to make it suitable for road construction,” said Sanjay Kumar, SBM-G district coordinator for Ranchi East division.The facility also processes other types of non-biodegradable waste. Thermocol is melted and compressed into sheets, while coconut husks are pulverised to produce cocopeat.Sanitation workers have been provided tricycles for door-to-door collection in the panchayats. Residents are being encouraged to store discarded plastic in sacks or cartons instead of dumping it. The waste is collected weekly and sent to the MRF.Ranchi East division covers seven blocks and 607 villages. Out of these, 240 villages spread across two blocks, Ormanjhi and Angada, have successfully achieved ‘model village’ status. The department aims to bring all the villages under the ‘model village’ category, which requires them to be open-defecation-free and have functional solid and liquid waste management systems.“Soak pits have been constructed to manage liquid waste. Biodegradable waste is converted into manure in NADEP compost pits, while non-biodegradable material is sent to the central MRF,” Kumar said.Panchayat-level waste segregation sheds are also under construction. Silli block is expected to be linked to the Ormanjhi facility for plastic waste disposal.The department plans to establish another MRF in either Bundu or Tamar block to serve Rahe, Sonahatu, Tamar and Bundu, Kumar said.
Plastic is segregated, shredded and compacted to make it suitable for road construction
Sanitation workers have been provided tricycles for door-to-door collection in the panchayats
