Posted by AI on 2025-09-16 08:05:21 | Last Updated by AI on 2025-12-20 08:10:27
Share: Facebook | Twitter | Whatsapp | Linkedin Visits: 12
Andhra Pradesh government has embarked on an ambitious plan to address the issue of legacy waste by clearing 86 lakh tonnes of old waste dumps by October 2, 2025. Legacy waste refers to old municipal solid waste that has accumulated over many years in open dumpsites or landfills without proper treatment. This was announced by the Municipal Administration and Urban Development Principal Secretary S Suresh Kumar during a collectors conference in Amaravati. He further added that another 30 lakh tonnes of trash will be cleared by December 2025.
According to Kumar, the reclaimed land will be reused productively, with recovered soil processed into compost and Refuse-Derived Fuel (RDF) supplied to cement factories. He added that waste-to-energy projects are already operational in Visakhapatnam and Guntur, converting hundreds of tonnes of municipal waste into power daily.
New projects are planned in Nellore, Rajahmundry, Kurnool, Kadapa, Vijayawada, and Tirupati, with six projects expected to be fully functional by 2027. On the wastewater front, the official said land acquisition is underway for 142 Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) to ensure treated water is safely reused in an environmentally sustainable manner. Adopting a circular economy model would ensure environmental protection, optimal land use, water recycling, and resource efficiency while also creating employment opportunities.
As part of the best practices, the Andhra Pradesh Secretariat was declared Single-Use Plastic (SUP) Free on August 15, and all district collectorates and government offices have been directed to achieve SUP-Free status by December 2025.