Panaji, Goa is adopting a decentralised model of solid waste management by processing biodegradable waste closer to its source, with a project in Bicholim, North Goa, setting an example for others, officials said on Monday.
The initiative is based on the Nisargruna Rapid Composting Technology designed by waste management expert Sharad Kale for the Goa government.
The approach seeks to shift the focus of waste management from merely collecting and transporting garbage to segregation at source, local processing and recovery of resources, the officials said.
Under the model, segregated biodegradable waste, including kitchen, vegetable and garden waste, is shredded and mixed with a specially prepared bacterial culture before being subjected to controlled aerobic biological degradation.
According to Kale, one metric tonne of biodegradable waste can be converted into 150-160 kg of organic manure within 24 to 48 hours.
"Do not transport biodegradable waste unnecessarily; process it close to where it is generated," Kale told PTI, explaining the basic principle behind the technology.
The decentralised model could reduce the need to transport wet waste over long distances, thereby lowering waste-collection trips, fuel consumption and associated emissions. It could also improve hygiene by reducing the handling and transportation of rotting organic waste.
{{/usCountry}}The decentralised model could reduce the need to transport wet waste over long distances, thereby lowering waste-collection trips, fuel consumption and associated emissions. It could also improve hygiene by reducing the handling and transportation of rotting organic waste.
{{/usCountry}}The technology is designed to operate at different scales and can be used by gram panchayats, municipal areas, markets, housing complexes, hotels, institutions and other bulk waste-generating establishments.
The Bicholim project could demonstrate how a network of smaller processing facilities can complement existing waste management infrastructure instead of relying predominantly on centralised collection and disposal, Kale said.
A decentralised system could also make segregation at source more meaningful. Once biodegradable waste is separated, plastics, metals, glass and other recyclable materials can remain relatively clean and be recovered more efficiently.
Kale said organic waste should be viewed as a resource rather than merely garbage. The rapid composting process accelerates natural biological degradation under controlled aerobic conditions.
The technology, he said, can significantly reduce the time and space normally associated with conventional composting while producing an organic soil amendment after appropriate curing and screening.
The approach also fits into the broader concept of a circular economy, under which waste generated by one activity is converted into a resource for another.
For Goa, such a decentralised network could potentially extend beyond Bicholim to panchayats, municipal councils, markets, hotels, schools, hospitals, government establishments and large residential complexes, depending on local waste-generation patterns.
One of the critical challenges associated with wet biodegradable waste is the foul odour and obnoxious leachate it generates. These are among the principal reasons communities are often apprehensive about handling and processing wet waste.
According to Kale, the Nisargruna technology addresses the problem at its source. As soon as segregated biodegradable waste is mixed with the prescribed quantity of organic manure serving as the microbial culture, the foul odour is neutralised and the leachate is rapidly absorbed.
Thus, the most objectionable characteristics of wet waste are eliminated immediately upon the addition and thorough mixing of the culture, he said.
This is followed by rapid aerobic microbial degradation. Over the next 24 hours, the specific bacteria break down the biodegradable material, progressively converting it into organic manure. Consequently, the waste does not remain putrefying and does not continue to generate the odour and leachate normally associated with accumulated wet waste, Kale said.
He described this as a defining advantage of the Nisargruna approach, saying the nuisance disappears immediately while the waste is rapidly transformed into a useful resource.
The significance of the process, he said, extends beyond the technology itself. Once people experience a system without foul odour, obnoxious leachate and prolonged accumulation of wet waste, much of the apprehension surrounding wet-waste management can be reduced.
What was earlier perceived as troublesome waste can instead become a resource that can be safely and conveniently managed at source.
"The future of solid waste management may not lie in finding bigger places to dump our waste, but in finding better ways to ensure that waste never becomes waste in the first place," Kale said.
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