GCC clears 400 tonnes of firecracker waste after Deepavali; 200 tonnes more targeted

Chennai, The GCC said on Monday that it had cleared around 400 tonnes of firecracker waste from across the city since Deepavali, with another 200 tonnes expected to be removed in the coming days.

To speed up the cleanup, the civic body has deployed an additional 600 sanitation workers and 350 vehicles across various zones, a press release said.

Civic authorities estimate that the total festive debris will reach nearly 600 tonnes before the drive concludes.


Conservancy workers in all 15 zones are sweeping residential areas, main roads and commercial hubs to clear the streets and dispose of the waste through safe, eco-friendly channels.

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The Corporation has distributed 30,000 bags, each with a capacity of 50 kg, to sanitation workers for the separate collection of firecracker waste.

The civic body has put in place a separate disposal strategy for post-festival firecracker waste, the release said.

Spent paper packaging, cardboard boxes and non-chemical residues are being collected separately and taken to the 50 tonnes per day (TPD) incineration facility at Kodungaiyur for controlled disposal.

Unexploded fireworks and materials containing active chemical compounds are being isolated and taken to a dedicated treatment unit at Gummidipoondi for safe neutralisation.

Residents have been urged to help conservancy workers by depositing leftover festive waste in the designated local collection bins, it said.