Make way for green waste at a park near you

New Delhi: Green enthusiasts in the city are making efforts to generate green waste at a park near you by turning kitchen waste into biomass, an eco friendly source of fuel.

"A park near you can be used to generate green waste. We convert the fallen leaves, grass, bushes as well as kitchen waste into biomass at parks in the residential area," Narendra Kumar, a bio-manure expert said.

Kumar, who runs 'Swalamban', a bio-manure providing firm, underlines the importance of utilizing waste products and converting them into something useful.

"A normal household produces a lot of waste every day. If everybody chips in, this waste can be converted into eco-friendly by-products. We have started around 300 'home manure clubs', wherein people convert their kitchen waste into manure," he said.

"We are currently working on producing biomass at the residential parks. The biomass thus created is then converted into 'pallets' or wooden blocks that can be used in boilers to produce thermal energy," he added.

The expert said that the organization is in talks with Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to provide them with 4-5 spacious parks for the exercise in the city.

"We are deliberating with the Delhi government and convincing them to carry out the exercise on a large scale, involving all the municipal bodies," he said.

Taking forward the idea of constructive use of waste, the environmentalists say that even PET plastic bottles can be recycled and converted into environment-friendly fibers and 'pallets'.

"India imports the fiber made from PET bottles from China. Instead of becoming a secondary market, India should make these fiber here itself. The recycled plastic is also used in the construction industry for making tiles. But in India, only Bengaluru uses this technology," Lakshmi Menon, an environment expert said.

She pointed that the whole concept of 'Make in India' involves optimum use of the available indigenous resources.

"The government should give a serious thought to the effective utilization of waste. For instance, Japan uses recycled plastic in making roads, but here it might take decades to catch up with the idea," Menon added.