JOIN USObserving that managing waste was the biggest challenge, Indian Institute of Science Centre for Sustainable Technologies Chief Research Scientist Hoysala N Chankaya on Friday stressed that social and attitudinal change was imperative for handling waste
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Stating that biomechanisation was one of the best ways of dealing with waste, he opined that instead of segregating and transporting waste, treating it at homes was the best solution. In this regard he said at homes, waste, including garden waste, could be fermented in a gas plant.
Biogas so generated can be filled in small quantities in containers in which rice and pulses are stored to protect them from termites for years on. Hotels, likewise, he explained could use biogas for storing food items and generate power. IISc, Bangalore Campus, he said, plans to put in place a decomposting and biogas plant shortly, since the campus generates around one tonne of waste daily.
According to Chankaya, setting up a biogas plant at home costs Rs 6,000 to process 2 kg of waste and the cost can go up to Rs 25,000 depending upon the quantity of waste generated. He elucidated on the waste management concepts, to reporters, on the sidelines of the two-day interdisciplinary national conference on waste management towards sustainable development in Indian context, organised by Maharani Lakshmi Ammanni College for Women, CST, IISc and Karnataka State Pollution Control Board.