Civic body to produce fuel from green waste

While the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is struggling to find ways for solid waste management, it has managed to find a way to dispose off the green waste in the city. The civic body has commissioned a project to produce combustible fuel from green waste.

As a part of its ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan,’ the BMC will be making palletes and briquettes from green waste. The cylindrical-shaped palletes and briquettes, which look like small bricks, are considered as very effective fuel.

In co-operation with the Chanakya Institute of Public Leadership (CIPL) organisation, the BMC has commissioned a plant of palletes and briquettes on a 1,000-sq-mt plot at LBS Road in Ghatkopar.

According to civic officials, the plot earlier was occupied by encroachments and antisocial elements. After removing them, the civic body decided to allot the plot to the CIPL for a period of five years to set up the plant. In this plant, about 16 tonnes of green waste like tree leaves, branches are processed to make palletes and briquettes.

Green waste is biodegradable waste that is composed of garden or park waste, such as grass or flower cuttings and hedge trimmings and tree branches. A briquette is a compressed block combustible biomass material such as charcoal, sawdust, wood chips, peat, or paper used for fuel and kindling to start a fire.

“In this project, we initially experimented to produce palletes from green waste. After it was successful, briquettes were manufactured in the plant,” said a senior civic official.

Apart from saving the civic body’s transport cost, it will also help in reducing pollution in the city as green waste will be disposed of scientifically, claimed civic officials.

“As palletes and briquettes are produced from green waste, the BMC has been able to dispose off the green waste in a proper way and without any additional cost. About 16 tonnes of green waste is being collected from 12 ward office areas in the city for this project. In future we plan to increase the plant capacity,” said additional municipal commissioner Pallavi Darade.