Noida to set up two waste treatment plants

The plants will process 25 tonnes of wet waste daily at each facility to produce compost and gas. The remaining 15 tonnes of dry waste will be converted into marketable products

The Noida authority has announced plans to establish two solid waste processing plants to tackle the city’s mounting waste management challenges. Each plant will process 40 tonnes of waste daily, totalling 80 tonnes, with the initiative fully funded and operated by an external agency, according to officials.

An agency, set to be hired for it, will not only establish and operate the plants but also recover costs through user charges and the sale of recycled products (HT Photo)

An agency, set to be hired for it, will not only establish and operate the plants but also recover costs through user charges and the sale of recycled products. “We will provide adequate land to the agency, which will set up these plants. The authority will not have to spend any funds on the establishment of these two projects as the agency will set up the plants from its own funds,” said Lokesh M, chief executive officer of the Noida authority.

Recycling plans and operations

The plants will process 25 tonnes of wet waste daily at each facility to produce compost and gas. The remaining 15 tonnes of dry waste will be converted into marketable products. “The authority will give 15 years’ time to the agency to recover its funds, with an additional 3-year extension if operations comply with norms. After 15 or 18 years, the authority will take back this facility and run it on its own,” said an official familiar with the project.

Broader waste management initiatives

According to the authority, Noida generates 800 tonnes of waste daily. In addition to the proposed plants, the authority is exploring a waste-to-energy plant at the Astoli landfill site, which spans 130 acres. The energy facility will occupy 30 acres, ensuring scientific processing of waste, officials said.

In February 2023, the authority hired an agency to manage the landfill site in Sector 145. The site, described as a “waste hill,” has drawn complaints from nearby residents due to foul smells and pollution. Residents of neighbouring residential societies have urged the removal of the landfill to improve living conditions.

“The Noida authority has been talking of several models to process solid waste. But none has worked out well and the authority is dumping waste here and there at vacant plots in the city. We hope that this plan works out well and it process the waste,” said NP Singh, president of Gautam Budh Nagar district development residents welfare association.

“The Noida authority is dumping waste at Mubarakpur, sector 145 area and making a hill of waste causing nuisance to locals. The Noisa authority must come up with sustainable models to handle waste issue,” said Deepak Sharma, president of sector 105 residents welfare association.