| S VENKATESHWARAN |
Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has launched a 40-day,
door-to-door awareness campaign across five south Chennai
zones to encourage residents to segregate waste at the source.
The campaign, titled ‘Kuppai Pirippom – Naalai Kaapom’, is
being carried out in Valasaravakkam, Alandur, Adyar,
Perungudi and Sholinganallur zones, with 10,000 households
identified in each zone.
As part of the campaign, field workers are visiting houses,
distributing dry waste collection bags and placing stickers on
houses to create awareness about proper waste segregation.
The stickers also help the workers record the dates and details
of waste collection and segregation.
The awareness drive was carried out in Nanganallur Thursday,
September 10, 2026, particularly 40th Street to 45th Street, areas
covered by Urbaser Sumeet, for 500 residents.
Urbaser 164th ward sanitary inspector, Mr. Sugumar, explained
the waste segregation process and spoke about the initiative.
The sticker placed at the houses explains the different
categories of waste through colours. Green indicates wet
waste, including food waste and household dust. Blue indicates
dry waste such as cardboard, milk packets, bottles and glass
waste, PET bottles, tins and cans.
Black indicates special-care waste, including bulbs, batteries,
bleach, oil cans, paint, medicines, tablets and medicine strips.
Red indicates sanitary and hygiene waste such as used
diapers, napkins, tampons and sanitary pads.
Mr. Sugumar explained that while collecting segregated waste,
the field workers will mark the date and other details in the
designated spaces on the sticker. He said the present
campaign is mainly focused on creating awareness and
encouraging residents to follow proper segregation practices.
He also explained that penalties are proposed for violations
under the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026, from next
month. At present, fines are applicable for issues such as
dumping debris or leaving large quantities of garbage in public
places.
Mr. Sugumar said if more households began segregating waste
properly, it would bring a positive change in the city’s waste
management system and also improve the recycling process.
Residents can watch the detailed interview with Mr. Sugumar
on the Speaks Digital YouTube channel (@SpeaksDigital).
