Pune: PMC Implements New Rules for Tracking Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) Deliveries

Pune, 21st September 2024: The Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) generated from processing mixed waste in the city will be tracked until it reaches cement companies or power generation plants. To facilitate this, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has mandated a GPS tracking system for vehicles transporting RDF from all waste treatment plants. Additionally, it is now required for the concerned companies to submit receipts for the RDF.

More than 2,000 tons of garbage accumulate in Pune every day, with that number increasing during the festive season. The Central and State Pollution Control Boards have ordered that RDF generated during disposal must also be handled scientifically. In response, new directives have been issued to ensure that RDF from both existing waste treatment plants and the new biomining project is disposed of scientifically.

The PMC will pay 75% of the tipping fee to the project-operating companies, while the remaining 25% will be disbursed only after the project operators submit receipts for RDF delivered to cement or power generation companies.

This requirement, which was not included in the terms and conditions of previous projects, has now been made mandatory. GPS tracking is required for vehicles transporting RDF to cement companies or power generation facilities. Furthermore, certificates from the relevant cement or power generation plants confirming the supply of RDF, along with weight records for RDF from each truck, have also been mandated.

While supplying RDF produced in municipal waste treatment plants to cement or power generation companies is compulsory, reports have surfaced indicating that RDF is being supplied to other companies within the district.

Recently, villagers in Deulgaon Wada, located in Daund taluka, intercepted a truck carrying plastic, rags, and other combustible waste instead of RDF. The villagers handed the driver over to the police, who subsequently registered a case against him under the Environment Act. During the investigation, the driver claimed he had collected this waste from the PMC’s project at Ramtekdi.