Karnataka lags behind in turning wealth from waste

Co-processing can be used in cement kilns, power plants and integrated iron and steel industry and can replace natural resources and fossil fuels like coal and petroleum.

To create awareness and to promote co-processing, the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) along with GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ GmbH) organised a workshop here on Thursday.

Speaking on the occasion, A S Sadashivaiah, chairman, KSPCB said that Karnataka is lagging behind Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh in implementing the use of co-processing as a raw material for source of energy.

“There are over 26,000 industries in Karnataka and almost all generate co-processable waste. Wastes from transport sector like tyres, waste oil, and municipal waste can be diverted to industries to be used as co-processing instead of being dumped at land fills,” he said.

One reason why Karnataka has not taken up the use of co-processing is that the cement industries are located very far from the cities. 

Cement factory

The nearest cement factory is located 100 km from Bangalore in Tumkur, which is closer to the northern part of the City while municipal waste is mainly generated in the southern part of the City, which makes the distance longer. 

Huge incinerators and waste to energy options have been explored by the Board which needs long term investments.

But for now, rejects from the mechanical biological treatment plants of municipal solid waste and co-processing can be an option, he added.