Erode Corporation mandates source segregation of waste in colour-coded bins

Erode Corporation mandates source segregation of waste in colour-coded bins As per the colour code, green has been assigned to wet waste, blue to dry waste, red to sanitary waste and black to special care waste; while wet, dry and sanitary waste.

Key points

• Km., comprises 60 wards in four zones, with 1, 69, 913 households and 27, 386 commercial establishments.
• Residents have been asked to hand over only source-segregated waste in prescribed colour-coded bins to the door-to-door collection staff in Erode in Tamil Nadu on Friday.
• Corporation Commissioner Arpit Jain remarked residents should hand over only source-segregated waste in the prescribed colour-coded bins or bags to conservancy workers.
• While wet, dry and sanitary waste will be collected daily, special care waste will be collected only on Wednesdays.
• While dry waste would be sent for recycling and sanitary waste disposed of scientifically, the Corporation remarked the collected wet waste would be processed through biomethanation.

Residents have been asked to hand over only source-segregated waste in prescribed colour-coded bins to the door-to-door collection staff in Erode in Tamil Nadu on Friday. Photo Credit: M. GOVARTHAN.

With the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026, coming into effect, the Corporation has asked all households and commercial establishments to segregate municipal solid waste into four categories at source and hand it over to conservancy workers in prescribed colour-coded bins or bags.

In practice, the city, spread over 109.52 sq. Km., comprises 60 wards in four zones, with 1, 69, 913 households and 27, 386 commercial establishments. At present, 250 metric tonnes of municipal solid waste is generated daily.

Under the new rules, waste has been categorised as wet waste, dry waste, sanitary waste, and special care waste. Residents have been asked to keep the four categories separate and hand them over to the workers accordingly.

Wet waste comprises kitchen waste, cooked and uncooked food waste, fruit and vegetable waste, flowers, tea leaves, coffee grounds, eggshells and other biodegradable waste. Dry waste includes paper, cardboard, newspapers, books, plastic, metal, glass, cartons, textiles, packing materials and other recyclable materials.

Sanitary waste includes applied sanitary napkins, diapers, incontinence pads, tampons, condoms and other hygiene waste. Special care waste, categorised as domestic hazardous waste, includes expired medicines, paint and pesticide containers, CFL bulbs, tube lights, batteries, mercury-containing items, household e-waste and other domestic hazardous waste.

Meanwhile, a colour code has been prescribed for each category – green for wet waste, blue for dry waste, red for sanitary waste and black for special care waste. While wet, dry and sanitary waste will be collected daily, special care waste will be collected only on Wednesdays.

While dry waste would be sent for recycling and sanitary waste disposed of scientifically, the Corporation remarked the collected wet waste would be processed through biomethanation. Special care waste would be collected by authorised agencies and disposed of safely.

Corporation Commissioner Arpit Jain remarked residents should hand over only source-segregated waste in the prescribed colour-coded bins or bags to conservancy workers. "Mixed or unsegregated waste will not be collected, " he remarked, adding that all waste generators would have to comply with the provisions of the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026. Residents have been asked to purchase the prescribed colour-coded bins or bags at their own cost.

Notably, the rules additionally impose separate responsibilities on bulk waste generators (BWGs). Institutional and commercial establishments, resident welfare associations, hotels, administration and private hospitals, educational institutions, information technology businesses, parks, wedding halls, commercial complexes, markets, industries and other sizeable establishments fall under the BWG category.

For context, the BWGs have been asked to register with the Central Pollution Control Board within 15 days, purchase the required colour-coded bins at their own cost and ensure segregation of waste at source.

Dry waste (blue) Paper, cardboard, newspapers, books, plastic, metal, glass, cartons, textiles, packing materials and other recyclable materials.

Sanitary waste (red) Applied sanitary napkins, diapers, incontinence pads, tampons, condoms and other hygiene waste.

Special care waste (black) Expired medicines, paint and pesticide containers, CFL bulbs, tube lights, batteries, mercury-containing items, household e-waste and other domestic hazardous waste.

Taken together, the developments around erode Corporation mandates source segregation of waste in colour point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.