IIT-H sets up comprehensive waste management system on campus
The campus already has a functional sewage treatment plant based on Membrane Bioreactor Technology. In the last two years, efforts have been made to set up a comprehensive solid waste management system.
Sangareddy: The Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IIT-H) has developed a comprehensive waste management system on the campus and set up a resource recovery park (RRP) and the biodigestor on the premises.
The institute has already banned usage of paper cups, single-use plastic water bottles, replaced RO water purifiers with UV water purifiers, implemented door to door waste collection, set up a bio-digester and planted more than 15,000 plants in last two years to reduce carbon footprint.
“It is a sheer pleasure to see the campus becoming greener. IIT-H always has a keen interest to serve society in the best possible way and it starts from the campus. The culture of a clean campus will not only make a better place to live, but when students leave the campus they will develop similar premises wherever they go. As a human race, it is our duty towards nature, to keep it intact for the future generation. RRP is one such small step in this direction”, said Prof BS Murty, Director, IIT-H, on the facility being commissioned recently.
Director Prof B S Murty during inauguration event of RRP
The campus already has a functional sewage treatment plant based on Membrane Bioreactor Technology. In the last two years, efforts have been made to set up a comprehensive solid waste management system. The solid waste generated on the campus is broadly separated into dry and wet categories. Wet waste (food waste, vegetable peelings, etc. which are readily biodegradable) generated in hostel mess, is shredded and fed into a biogas digester. The generated biogas is used in the student’s dining facility. This reduces the consumption of fossil fuels. The wet waste from the residential areas is sent to the vermicompost facility at the RRP. The compost is used for gardening purposes.
The campus has a door-to-door waste collection mechanism with a clear segregation at the residences into wet and dry waste. The waste is brought to the RRP using a battery-operated collection vehicle. At RRP, the dry fraction is further segregated into individual components, while the wet waste is sent to the compost facility. The dry waste is segregated at the RRP facility into individual components. The compacted waste is temporarily stored in RRP and disposed of by external agencies.
Vermicomposting shed houses pre-digestion bins, composting bins, and a sieving and storage room. The recyclable waste segregation and storage room have a segregation area with bins for different types of waste and a storage area.
All biodegradable wastes are moved to the pits/windrow platform for composting. The biodegradable wastes were processed using microbial and vermi-composting techniques. Once processed, the compost is passed through a sieving machine to remove foreign particles and bigger chunks of waste. The compost is then stored in the compost storage room and later used as fertilizer.
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