The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) in India is embarking on an ambitious ‘waste to wealth' initiative by developing biomass briquettes from green waste and processing flower waste generated at temples into marketable products. These proposals, discussed in a recent corporation meeting, underscore BMC's efforts to manage waste more sustainably, according to officials from BMC's sanitation wing.
Under the plan, BMC will establish a processing unit equipped with chipper, grinder, hammer, and dryer technologies to transform green waste like grass clippings and wood into biomass briquettes. These briquettes will be supplied to various sectors including pharmaceutical companies, power plants, food processing units, and cement plants as alternative fuel sources.
Currently, BMC operates eight vehicles to collect green waste from different city roads, with each of the 44 wards also equipped with a light commercial vehicle for separate green waste collection. However, due to the lack of a dedicated processing facility, the waste is currently deposited at temporary sites.
“To implement these plans, BMC intends to contract an agency through a tender process to establish and manage the plant for at least three years,” an official stated.
Deputy Commissioner of Sanitation, Manoranjan Sahu, highlighted that the city's numerous temples produce approximately 400 to 500 kg of flower waste, which can potentially be processed into scented candles, perfumes, incense sticks, and natural dyes. BMC is now scouting for a suitable site and vendor to manage the proposed flower processing plant.
These initiatives align with BMC's broader goals of turning waste into valuable resources while mitigating pollution in local water bodies and tanks.
