Residents, environmental organisations and civil society groups have urged the Tamil Nadu government to withdraw the proposed 1,200-tonnes-per-day (TPD) waste-to-energy (WTE) plant at the Vellalore landfill, contending that it is inconsistent with the National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) directions on biomining and ecological restoration of the site.
In a representation submitted to the State government, the signatories called for a decentralised Zero Waste model based on segregation, composting, biomethanation and recycling instead of large-scale waste incineration.
They opposed the proposal to process waste from both the Coimbatore and Tiruppur municipal corporations at Vellalore, saying it would increase the environmental burden on residents living around the landfill.
The representation cited CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI) studies stating that mixed municipal waste is unsuitable for large-scale incineration because of its high moisture content and low calorific value. It also referred to the closure of waste incinerators in Chennai and said many countries were shifting towards decentralised waste management.
K.S. Mohan, secretary of the Kurichi-Vellalore Pollution Prevention Action Committee, said residents had endured groundwater contamination and environmental degradation for over two decades due to the landfill and urged the government to restore the site instead of establishing an incinerator.
Geo Damin of Poovulagin Nanbargal questioned the adoption of a technology that had already been abandoned in Chennai, while environmental lawyer Madhuvanthi Rajkumar said several countries were moving away from municipal waste incineration.
The signatories urged the Tamil Nadu government, the Tamil Nadu Infrastructure Development Board (TNIDB) and the Coimbatore Corporation to withdraw the project, make all feasibility and environmental studies public, undertake an independent assessment of Zero Waste alternatives, and increase investment in waste segregation, composting, biomethanation and recycling infrastructure.
Published - July 22, 2026 08:09 pm IST