Pune: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has decided to postpone the biomining process project in Uruli Devachi garbage depot after objections from civic activists.
 
Earlier the PMC had decided to implement the project in Uruli Devachi garbage depot which includes clearing old dumping yard and reusing it. However, the civic activists have raised an objection to this tender of biomining which was tabled by Solid Waste Management Department in the Standing Committee meeting. After objection, the committee has postponed the tender.
 
In biomining, the waste is levelled first and recyclables are removed from it. The waste is then separated and material useful for compost is again separated from it. The remaining waste consisting of wood, cloth and other organic items are shredded and sold as RDF (refuse-derived fuel) to cement companies and power plants. Tamil Nadu and Goa governments are using biomining in their corporations.
 
Biomining does not incur maintenance cost. On the other hand, the land under capping cannot be reused. In addition to this, land capping incurs maintenance costs, year-on-year basis to manage methane and leachate. 

Civic body’s Solid Waste Management Department has decided to implement a project on 200 acres of Uruli Devachi garbage depot. Bhoomi Green Energy has given the lowest tender rate of Rs 646 per ton of garbage biomining. The department has tabled the proposal to give the project to Bhoomi Green Energy during the Standing Committee meeting held on Wednesday. 

Yogesh Mulik, Chairman of the PMC Standing Committee, said, “We have to take information regarding biomining project. So, we have postponed the tender decision. The total project cost is Rs 58 crore for four years.” 

Dnyaneshwar Molak, Head of Solid Waste Management Department, said, “Biomining process is new in the State. Some cities are carrying out the process on a small scale. We have given four years of time to release 20 acres of land of the depot. The company will remove dry garbage and process it. Currently, the company is running two dry waste processing projects in PMC limit.” 

Vijay Kumbhar, a civic activist, said, “Company does not have experience of biomining process. Despite that, the corporation has offered the tender to the company. It showed that there are some irregularities in the tender.”