Chennai generated 714 tonnes of firecracker waste during its Diwali clean-up, the highest quantity recorded by the Greater Chennai Corporation in six years and 45 tonnes more than last year, according to civic data released on November 15.
The collection over a week exceeded the corporation’s pre-festival estimate of 600 tonnes. GCC had recorded 282 tonnes of cracker waste in 2021, 272 tonnes in 2022 and 210 tonnes in 2023. The quantity rose sharply to 569 tonnes in 2024 and 669 tonnes in 2025 before reaching this year’s total.
The increase coincided with a rise in Chennai’s average Diwali air quality index. Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board data showed the average AQI at 281 this year, compared with 259 last year and 211 in 2024. The civic data and pollution figures are reported separately by the GCC and TNPCB; the supplied information does not establish a direct causal relationship between the two trends.
GCC commissioner G S Sameeran said around 55 tonnes of the collected material had been sent to a hazardous-waste processing plant, while 599 tonnes had been sent to an incinerator. The corporation expects to collect another 60 tonnes from its zones, he said.
The handling process involved segregating the waste according to its composition. Unburnt crackers were sent to an authorised hazardous-waste disposal facility. Paper, cardboard boxes and other combustible material without chemical residue were directed to the 50-tonne-per-day incinerator at Kodungaiyur.
Alandur recorded the highest quantity this year, at more than 70 tonnes. It led the zonal tally for the second consecutive year, although its total was lower than the 85 tonnes collected there last year. The zone’s waste quantity has nevertheless increased to nearly five times its 2021 level.
Thiruvottiyur and Teynampet each recorded more than 60 tonnes. Ambattur’s collection nearly doubled from 25 tonnes last year to 48 tonnes this year, while Kodambakkam’s total increased from 32 tonnes to more than 50 tonnes. Royapuram, Anna Nagar and Tondiarpet recorded the lowest quantities, with less than 30 tonnes each.
The leading zone has changed over the years. Teynampet topped the list in 2021 and 2022, followed by Valasaravakkam in 2023 and 2024, before Alandur took the lead in 2025 and 2026.
Ahead of the festival, GCC deployed 600 workers and 350 vehicles for firecracker-waste collection. The remaining planned collection and processing will determine the final quantity handled by the civic system, with GCC officials expecting another 60 tonnes to be gathered from the zones.
