The Kerala Hotel and Restaurant Association (KHRA) has taken the first step in the direction of effective waste disposal and management by roping in Stenum Asia, a Delhi-based NGO which is engaged in creating awareness about best practices in waste management in India and Sri Lanka.
KHRA will work in tandem with the NGO to launch a waste management campaign in Kochi.
The team was in Kochi last week to identify the kind of waste generated in restaurants and its effective disposal. “This tie-up will not only help us work out ways of effective disposal but also how to recycle waste. Our aim is sustainable development and growth,” says Muhammed Musthafa, CEO of Rezoy, the digital empowerment centre of KHRA. Rezoy was formed to protect the industry and empower it, and the tie-up is part of that.
Stenum Asia representatives visited 10 restaurants in the district to assess waste disposal methods in place and energy efficiency.
“The feedback from them has been helpful. We are not looking to reinvent the wheel. Stenum has experience working in the field in India and Sri Lanka, and they know what needs to be done. We want to implement best practices that are current across the world in our restaurants. The technology developed would be highly scalable and can be implemented in restaurants and hotels, irrespective of size, across the State,” Mr. Musthafa adds.
Usually, waste from restaurants is either disposed of via waste collection by civic bodies or by sending to pig farms in and around. “We are very dependent on these agencies. However, if we have our own means, then it becomes easier for us,” says Manoharan, district secretary, KHRA. Minor changes such as keeping freezers or compressors of air-conditioners away from burners and stoves - the source of heat - suggested by Stenum representatives were implemented immediately. “These are easily implemented and 20-25% energy is conserved,” Mr. Manoharan adds.
