Waste processing plant to come up near City soon

The State cabinet on Friday decided to set up a garbage segregation and processing plant under public-private partnership model on the outskirts of the City.

Briefing reporters about the Cabinet decision, Urban Development Minister S Suresh Kumar said Hanjer Biotech Energies Pvt Ltd had come forward to set up the plant on a 10-acre piece of land at Subbarayanavala village near Tavarekere, off Magadi Road, on a design-build-operate and transfer (DBOT) basis.

The plant is being designed on the lines of the one functioning in Salem in Tamil Nadu.
The BBMP will deliver to the plant the solid waste generated in the City. The company will be responsible for segregating and processing the waste. Segregation will be done at primary, secondary and tertiary three levels. The segregated waste will be used for manufacturing manure and green fuel, which is mainly used in cement factories. About 80 per cent of waste will be recycled and the remaining non-bio-degradable garbage will be dumped at landfill sites.

The company has sought a year’s time to erect the plant, which is estimated to cost Rs 60 crores. It will have the capacity to process about 750 metric tonnes of garbage a day. The government has decided to lease 10 acres to the company for setting up the plant. Further, the BBMP will pay the company Rs 70 per tonne of garbage for segregation.

Hanjer Biotech Energies is already running such plants in 22 towns, including one in Salem. An 18-member delegation led by Suresh Kumar recently visited Salem to study the functioning of the plant. The Cabinet decided to award the contract to the firm on the recommendation of the delegation.

Asked about the possibility of residents of Subbaray­anav­ala resisting the locating of the plant, the minister said he did not anticipate opposition as the site chosen was isolated.
The government is examining proposals from many private companies to set up garbage processing plants . One of them has proposed to set up a plant in 30 days. The government proposes to set up at least four to five processing plants around the City.