By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, June 6: Leader of Opposition, Ronnie V Lyngdoh on Thursday said the state government should explore the possibility of using new technologies for the disposal of waste.
He told The Shillong Times the government will not require a huge plot of land for the new landfill site if it can tie up with firms or agencies which have expertise in using technology for waste disposal.
The state government is looking to hold a public hearing for the new landfill site, identified at Nonghali near Diengpasoh under the Mawryngkneng constituency.
Plastic and other non-biodegradable wastes are piling up at Marten each passing day.
Lyngdoh said the government can also explore converting “waste into wealth” through new scientific interventions and technologies. He said many states have started using technologies to convert waste into energy or recycle it into liquid organic manure.
He recalled that when he was in charge of the Urban Affairs department for a year during the MUA 2.0 government, a firm took them to hotels to study the viability of converting waste into cooking gas.
“We went inside the kitchens of around four to five hotels. The biodegradable waste was put in a symmetrical tank and there was no smell as it was airtight. We were shown that they were cooking for their staff with cooking gas generated from the tank,” Lyngdoh said.
He said the government can hire people who have got the expertise to recycle or convert bio-degradable wastes into manure or energy. He suggested that things which cannot be recycled may be dumped at the landfill site.
He added that the use of technology can also help in providing livelihood to people and protect the ecosystem from plastic and other non-bio-degradable wastes.