There is little doubt that a lot of waste could have fresh life in some
other form and can be kept out of Chennai’s garbage bins, with
sufficient commitment from citizens. As these columns have highlighted
over several days now, mixing waste of different kinds and sending it to
the dump sites where it is mostly burnt only creates problems for
suburban residents.
Toxic fumes are released into the air, and a lot of harmful chemicals
leach into the groundwater, while the area used to dump mountains of
trash is constantly growing.