The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has decided to set up its first dedicated textile waste processing unit to address the concerns related to increasing textile waste in the city.
This initiative aims to tackle the 100 to 125 tonnes of textile waste generated daily, which has become challenging to process with the city’s existing waste management systems. The city is currently grappling with a substantial waste management issue.
Daily, the city generates approximately 1,200 to 1,300 tonnes of dry waste and 900 to 1,000 tonnes of wet waste. While the PMC has established 12 biogas plants to process wet waste and 13 plants for dry waste, the textile waste, which constitutes about 10% of the dry waste, has been a persistent challenge.
Textile waste, including materials such as mattresses, cushions, clothes, sofa cushions, glass fibers, furniture, leather bags, and shoes, requires specialised processing due to its unique characteristics.
According to Sandip Kadam, the head of the solid waste management (SWM) department at PMC, the existing waste management infrastructure is ill-equipped to handle textile waste efficiently. “This textile waste cannot be processed with the regular dry waste, as its size cannot be compressed. The waste often gets stuck in the feeder conveyor, disrupting the entire processing system,” Kadam said.
The new textile waste processing unit is expected to address this issue by providing a dedicated facility that will process textile waste in an eco- friendly and sustainable manner. The unit will not only help to manage the growing volume of textile waste but also ensure that the waste is handled in a way that minimizes harm to the environment.
“The processing unit will process the textile waste in an eco-friendly manner and prevent harm to nature. Most people don’t ever consider the impact of this waste on the environment,” Kadam added, emphasising the importance of managing this specific type of waste in an environmentally responsible way.
The PMC is currently in the process of finalising the location for the textile waste processing unit. The final decision on the location will depend on the permissions received from the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB). However, the tender for setting up the unit is expected to be floated this month. This marks a crucial step forward in tackling textile waste, which has become one of the more challenging waste categories to manage.
The estimated cost for setting up the dedicated textile waste processing unit is between Rs.3 to Rs. 4 crore, although the final cost may vary depending on factors such as the allocation of land and the machinery needed for the facility. The PMC aims to create a sustainable solution to handle the increasing amounts of textile waste and reduce the burden on the city’s existing waste management infrastructure.