The Trichy Corporation launched a special smoke-free Bhogi drive to prevent waste burning during the festival. This initiative formally concluded on Wednesday evening. It successfully collected 15 metric tons of waste from all five zones of the city.
Massive Waste Collection Effort
The corporation deployed 10 dedicated waste collection trucks for this drive. They set up 10 collection points across Trichy. Residents actively participated by handing over old items in bulk.
Zone-Wise Waste Breakdown
The waste collection showed varying amounts across different zones:
- Zone I (Srirangam): Generated the highest amount at 4.8 MT
- Zone II (Ariyamangalam): Contributed 2.3 MT
- Zone III (Thiruverumbur): Also contributed 2.3 MT
- Zone IV (Ponmalai): Generated 1.9 MT
- Zone V (K Abishekapuram): Generated 3.4 MT
What People Donated
Residents gave away numerous household items. The majority of collected waste consisted of mattresses, pillows, and blankets. Many old clothes were also handed over for appropriate recycling and reuse.
Kishore Mohan, operations head at SR Vedhaah, explained the disposal plan. SR Vedhaah is the Solid Waste Management outsourcing agency for Trichy Corporation. "The waste will be segregated in the next few days," Mohan said. "Then it will be sent to a cement production unit in Ariyalur for safe disposal, as per their expectations."
Additional Items Collected
The drive collected more than just household textiles. Officials reported receiving around 525 kilograms of automobile tyres. Without this initiative, most of these tyres could have been burnt in Bhogi bonfire celebrations on roads.
The collection also included approximately 337 kilograms of glass bottles. These will be disposed of through scrap dealers, ensuring proper recycling.
Community Participation and Wall of Kindness
Officials noted strong community involvement in the smoke-free Bhogi drive launched on January 12. A section of residents made use of the Wall of Kindness facility on Allithurai Road near the Zone V office.
This facility allowed people to place gently used clothes and blankets for direct reuse by others. It provided an alternative way to dispose of usable items without burning them.
The initiative successfully prevented significant amounts of waste from being burnt during Bhogi celebrations. This helped maintain better air quality in Trichy during the festival period.
