In line with the government’s ‘waste to wealth’ initiative, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) plans to produce biomass briquettes by processing green waste generated in the capital city separately, reported The New Indian Express.
The BMC also intends to establish a processing unit for flower waste from temples, converting it into marketable products. These proposals were discussed in a recent corporation meeting, according to BMC sanitation officials.
Under the plan, BMC will set up a processing facility equipped with chippers, grinders, hammers, and dryers to convert green waste such as grass clippings, shrubs, and wood into biomass briquettes. These briquettes will then be supplied to pharmaceutical companies, power plants, food processing units, and cement plants as alternative fuel.
Currently, BMC utilizes eight vehicles to collect green waste from various city roads, with an additional light commercial vehicle allocated to each of the 44 wards for separate green waste collection.
Despite these efforts, green waste is presently dumped at Pokhariput or Gadakana TTS near Sainik School due to the lack of a dedicated processing facility. BMC plans to address this by engaging an agency through a tender process to establish and manage the plant for at least three years.
Manoranjan Sahu, Deputy Commissioner (Sanitation), highlighted that Bhubaneswar’s numerous temples generate approximately 400 to 500 kg of flower waste. This waste can be treated separately to create economic value and prevent pollution in tanks and water bodies.
“To achieve this, the civic body proposes to establish a small-scale flower processing plant where used flowers can be transformed into scented candles, perfumes, incense sticks, and natural dyes. Once finalized, BMC will initiate the process of identifying a suitable site and selecting a vendor to manage the facility,” he explained.
