People must not throw wet (biodegradable) waste in plastic bags as this prevented both the container and the contents from degrading, said Sharad Kale, Head, Technology Transfer, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC). She said, “Do not throw waste in a plastic bag. Neither (the plastic bag nor the wet waste within it) can be recycled”. If everyone segregated waste, there would ultimately be no need for a dumping yard.
Mr. Kale said BARC’s ‘Nisarga Runa’ (‘loan from nature’) technology helped convert biodegradable solid waste into useful manure and methane. It was different from normal manuring as methane was collected and could be reused instead of wasting it by allowing it into the atmosphere, which caused pollution. The technology was used in 90 waste manuring plants in Maharashtra, 12 plants in Bangalore, and 25 plants in Kerala.
Mangalore’s Urwa Market had a plant that was based on BARC’s Nisarga Runa technology. He said, “The Municipal Corporation of Mangalore is giving very good support”.