Material Recovery Facility in Nitte GP to function from April 3

The Material Recovery Facility (MRF) in Nitte Gram Panchayat, set up under Swaccha Bharath Mission by Udupi Zilla Panchayat, will start functioning from April 3.

MRF has the capacity to segregate 10 tonnes of dry waste daily. MRF aims to ensure scientific management of waste at the source and convert waste into a resource.

The solid waste from various GPs is shifted to the plant with the help of a conveyor belt. After the segregation of waste, the reusables like paper, plastic, metal and glass are directly sent to the recycling units from MRF.

Sahas Zero Waste had given technical guidance for setting up the unit, while Mangala Resource Management will maintain the MRF.

Udupi ZP Chief Executive Officer Dr Naveen Bhat said that 42 GPs in Karkala, Udupi, Kaup and Hebri taluks are covered under MRF.

The dry waste generated in households will be sent to dry waste collection centres and Swaccha Sankeerna units in the GPs. The vehicle from MRF will visit Swaccha Sankeeran units to collect waste every week, he said.

The ZP CEO said that through the conveyor belt, waste will be further divided into 25 to 30 categories. The unsegregated waste will be sent to the baling machine. Non-recyclable waste will be transported to cement factories.

MRF has 30 staff members including 15 personnel engaged in segregating waste at the conveyor belt and four engaged in maintaining the baling machine. MRF has come up on a 10,000 square feet plinth area and is set up at a cost of Rs 2.5 crore. In addition, Rs 8.32 lakh from MGNREGS, Rs 28.35 lakh from 15th Finance Commission, Rs 10 lakh from Gram Vikas Yojana, Rs 23 lakh from Nitte GP was utilised for the purpose.

'DPR for Badagabettu ready'

Udupi Zilla Panchayat CEO Dr Y Naveen Bhat said that a detailed project report (DPR) for setting up a mini Material Recovery Facility at 80 Badagabettu had been submitted to the government for approval.

The land has been identified for setting up two more MRFs in the district and DPRs are being drafted, he added.