How Chennai Hit 2 Stones With 1 Arrow: Transformed 50 Years of Waste Into Art Decor; A Lesson Delhi Can Note | Chennai News

From Trash to Treasure: How Chennai Turned 50 Years of Landfill Waste into Everyday Wonders (AI-Image, representational)

Chennai: For decades, Chennai’s 96-acre Perungudi dumpyard stood as a grim reminder of the city’s waste problem, buried beneath mountains of garbage that piled up for nearly 50 years. Today, that same landfill has been given a remarkable second life, with 1.7 million cubic metres of waste transformed into everything from sleek furniture to recycled bottles and concrete slabs.

Until recently, the Perungudi dumpyard was overflowing with waste equivalent to 20 football fields. But thanks to an ambitious biomining project by Blue Planet Environmental Solutions, not a single bit of that waste has gone to waste, as per a video by The Better India. Every material has been carefully treated, recycled, and repurposed.

Steel was reshaped into utensils and hardware. Over 3,000 tonnes of glass have been reborn as bottles. Stones were transformed into strong concrete slabs. And plastics? They were turned into outdoor furniture, pallets and racks, all recyclable up to seven to eight times.

The Blue Planet Breakthrough

The real breakthrough lies in Blue Planet’s made-in-India biomining technology, which ensured the clean-up was not just effective but also safe. Their team excavated, treated and segregated 9,000 tonnes of waste every single day, with each batch passing 52 safety checks to ensure zero pollution.

This isn’t Blue Planet’s first major clean-up. The company has already reclaimed 700 acres of land and processed over 1.4 crore tonnes of waste across nine states. In Chennai, they are now working on another project at Kodungaiyur, which is three times larger than Perungudi.

From Dumpyard to Wonder

The transformation of Perungudi proves that with the right technology, even decades-old waste can be turned into valuable resources. What was once a symbol of neglect has now become a model for sustainable waste management, with Chennai rewriting India’s waste story.

The success at Perungudi also raises a bigger question — which Indian city will be next to embrace such a revolutionary shift?

Should Delhi Take a Lesson From This?

Chennai’s success with biomining at Perungudi raises an important question — should Delhi take inspiration too? The national capital has been struggling for years with its towering landfills, often referred to as “khatta,” at Ghazipur, Bhalswa, and Okhla. These massive garbage mountains have not only become eyesores but also pose serious health and environmental risks, including toxic fires and groundwater contamination.

If a city like Chennai can turn half a century’s worth of waste into useful resources and eco-friendly products, Delhi could surely replicate the model. With the right investment in biomining technology and strict safety checks, the capital’s khattas could also be transformed into symbols of sustainability rather than shame.

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