Coimbatore Corporation Launches Pilot Project to Collect and Recycle Household Textile Waste

Coimbatore: Segregation of waste at source remains one of the key challenges in keeping the city’s waste management system efficient.

Despite continued awareness campaigns by the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (CCMC) urging residents to separate wet and dry waste, various forms of non-organic waste continue to find their way into bags containing wet waste. This makes segregation a labour-intensive task for sanitation workers and exposes them to potential health risks.

Household textile waste, in particular, is often treated as organic waste and disposed of along with wet waste, adding to the segregation burden faced by sanitation workers.

To address the issue, the CCMC has launched a pilot textile-waste collection initiative titled “Maru Nesavu” (Re-weave) in Ward 33 of the West Zone, covering parts of Kavundampalayam.

The initiative was launched on August 21 by Corporation Commissioner Katta Ravi Teja at the Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) located at the R.S. Puram Corporation Kalaiarangam.

Under the initiative, residents will be encouraged to hand over unwanted textile waste directly to sanitation workers assigned to their respective wards on designated collection days, instead of mixing it with regular household waste or burning it. The Corporation has designated Wednesdays for the collection of household textile waste, including usable old clothes, bedsheets, blankets, pillow covers, curtains and towels, as well as torn or unusable pieces of fabric.

As part of the launch, sanitation and field workers operating in Kavundampalayam were given training on segregating, collecting, handling and channelising textile waste for recycling. More than 80 sanitation and field personnel participated in the training programme.

The Corporation Commissioner also distributed dedicated bags to sanitation workers for collecting textile waste and flagged off campaign vehicles as part of the awareness drive.

Explaining the initiative, the Commissioner said textile waste forms part of the daily waste generated in the West Zone and cannot be appropriately processed along with biodegradable or non-biodegradable waste streams. The pilot project is aimed at ensuring that textile waste is separately collected and processed for recycling using appropriate technologies, he said.

The Corporation will also undertake awareness activities to encourage residents to dispose of textile waste responsibly and understand the importance of recycling. The initiative, currently being piloted in the West Zone, is expected to be extended to other wards and zones based on its success and viability.

The launch programme was attended by Corporation Deputy Commissioner Saraswathi, West Zone Chairperson K.A. Theyvayanai Tamilmarai, Assistant Commissioner Narmadha, officials from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, representatives of GIZ India and Grant Thornton Bharat LLP, besides sanitation workers and other officials.