The Salem Corporation has issued notices to 4,856 commercial establishments in its four zones, directing them to segregate waste at source and hand it over separately to the waste collectors, Corporation Commissioner Lalitaditya Neelam has said.A release from the Commissioner said solid waste is collected door-to-door every day using 213 light vehicles in the city limits. Another 38 heavy vehicles are used to remove waste generated by commercial establishments, market areas, and community bins.Under the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026, residents and commercial establishments should segregate waste as biodegradable, non-biodegradable, sanitary, and special waste before handing it to the civic body. The Corporation has deployed eight additional heavy vehicles to collect waste from commercial establishments.As part of its efforts to encourage waste segregation, the Corporation is conducting awareness campaigns among commercial establishments, apartment complexes, and the public. This has resulted in an additional 20 tonnes of biodegradable waste collected every day and processed into manure, Mr. Neelam said.The manure produced is distributed free-of-cost to the public at the Corporation office, District Collectorate, zonal offices, Uzhavar Sandhais, taluk offices, and sub-registrar offices within the Corporation limits. So far, 68 farmers have used the Corporation’s organic manure on their agricultural fields, the Commissioner said, appealing to more farmers to make use of the same. Published - August 26, 2026 07:04 pm IST