Shortage of bins intensifies garbage crisis in Madurai

Madurai: Madurai’s transition to a “binless city” has not been going well as a shortage of bins has led to piling up of waste on the streets and the water channels. The Balarangapuram area is one of the most affected along with Sellur. The Kiruthumal water channel along FF Road also sees repeated blockages.Residents say beyond large bins on main roads, there is a lack of bins in other areas. “Residential areas do not have enough small waste bins,” said Kiran, a resident of Balarangapuram. “The large dumper bins can only be found on the main roads discouraging people from going all the way to dump waste,” he said. “This makes work of sanitation workers more difficult.”Meanwhile, a sanitation worker clearing waste in the Balarangapuram area said they do not have enough safety gear. “We sometimes find glass or other items that can cause a health hazard dumped in waste, but not all of us are provided with gloves when clearing waste,” the worker said.A senior corporation official said the plan to make Madurai a “binless city” has been postponed. “More bins will be provided, especially in residential areas in order to promote responsible waste dumping,” the official said, adding that this will also increase the efficiency of door to door waste collection. The official also added that the private contractor in charge of waste collection has also been asked to provide sanitation workers with adequate safety gear to prevent any issues going forward.