Hyderabad: The Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI) is the only establishment in the city which does not add its garbage burden to the Jawahar Nagar dump yard. It composts its garbage to use it as manure for its green belt.
The ASCI generates up to 100 kgs waste daily on its 15 acre campus with over 600 staff and students. The ‘zero-waste unit’ uses eight compost beds and a shed, a one time investment of less than Rs 1 lakh that manages about 50 tonnes of wet waste yearly.
The garbage generated includes wet, dry and bio hazard which is segregated at source. It is then pushed off to the compost pits and recycling units respectively.
Major Shiva Kiran, consultant at the centre for Urban Governance and Environment at ASCI who helped in setting up the unit three years back, says, “The waste is allowed to stay in pit 1 for a week and is then transferred to pit 2. More waste is added to pit 1 while the waste keeps moving from pit to pit.” The process continues for eight weeks till the manure is ready.
Mr Kiran added that such at source compost pits will help in reducing carbon print of the city as the number of GHMC vehicles plying to collect the waste would go down.
The move is also being seen as one to encourage safer working environment for rag pickers as most use bare hands to retrieve recyclables from mixed waste. “It’s easy and safe to use. I could even work without gloves,” said Kishna the segregation staff who has been managing the ‘zero waste unit’ for the last three years.
Mr Kiran also explained that the process could be beneficial for markets especially so as they see a lot of green waste without much mixing from plastic and paper. The manure then generated could be sold. “The government must give incentives for waste segregation and management, like a 10% off on property tax. That will encourage the citizens.”
