It is time for Tamil Nadu to segregate solid waste at source

Piles of misery: Workers collect materials that could be recycled from piles of garbage at the Kodungaiyur landfill in north Chennai. Many of them are from Perambur Assembly Constituency and their only source of livelihood is peddling. | Photo credit: B. JOTHI RAMALINGAM

On July 2, a drone camera captured unnerving footage of the sprawling Kodungaiyur landfill – women digging through piles of garbage to collect materials that could be recycled. For these women from the Perambur Assembly constituency, hawking was the only source of livelihood. They claim that many members of the nearly 3,000 families in the area have lost their lives due to the health risks associated with ragpicking.

Chennai Corporation councilor Dilli Babu says women are exposed to health risks as fresh waste continues to pile up at the dump site without segregation at source. This comes even as bio-mining of the waste yard has begun for the ecological restoration of the 352-acre site, located in the heart of a densely populated area in north Chennai. “After the introduction of Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026, on April 1, officials suggested source segregation as a solution. But 100% source segregation was a tall order,” he said.

Published – 5 Jul 2026 05:30 IST