Bengaluru: The Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) will be the first airport in Asia to implement in-house integrated solid waste management (SWM) facility. Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL) will set up the facility in partnership with Ekolog Ltd – a Poland based company and will be built under Design-Build-Own-Operate (DBOO) project. An official spokesperson from BIAL said the facility is scheduled to become operational from January 2019.
The energy generated from this process will have the potential to power 5,000 households every year and the SWM has the capacity to generate 1.5 million kg of organic compost every year.
Phase 1 of the facility will have the capability to process 20 TPD (ton per day) and will be scalable to 60 TPD. KIA currently generates over 20 tonnes of waste a day.
After the SWM is commissioned, around 25 TPD organic waste can be converted into sustainable bio-energy, through biomethanation. Recyclable waste material will be segregated and sent to recyclers for useable product conversion.
Measures will also be taken to ensure that the SWM is odourless and protected from animal access, while at the same time ensuring high standards of hygiene.
State Chief Secretary and BIAL chairperson Ratna Prabha said, “This is a big leap towards sustainability, leading to scientific and systematic waste management, including reduced landfill and increased resource recovery. BIAL’s focus is to convert all the waste generated by KIAB community into usable resources and ensure reduction of carbon foot print.”
