Mysuru: Turning Rubbish Into Profitable Power

With cities across India battling garbage collection and disposal, one city has decided to change all that. Mysuru, the cultural capital of Karnataka has decided to not only sort out the mess but also earn some much needed revenue while at it.

Bloomberg reports that the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) aims for zero landfills in the city. The city has mandated segregation of biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste from residents to make things easier. Once collected, the waste is then sent to nine recycling facilities and one compost plant. The waste is then separated with with metal, plastics and rubber being sold to scrap dealers while organic wasted is turned into compost before being sold to farmers.

The recycling units are mostly set up by local residents and volunteers who break even by selling the crap and compost. The MCC levies an annual fee along with a part of the finished compost to cover its costs. Residents also pay an additional fee for solid waste along with property taxes.

70 per cent of the costs of running the compost plant – operated by IL&FS Limited – come from the sale of fertiliser while the remaining costs are covered by Central grants under the Swachh Bharat Mission.