‘The opportunity lies in collecting, segregating and disposing of the waste’

Why talk of solid waste to students of Management? Students of MBA at
KKR & KSR Institute of Technology, who listened to The Hindu
Business Line Club talk on “Business Opportunities in Solid Waste
Management,” will agree that some tremendous business opportunities
exist in solid waste management.

“Business opportunity lies in
collecting, segregating and disposing the solid waste and the young
entrepreneurs will be able to find a working model to run their
business,” Environmental Engineer, Tenali municipality, Uday Singh, told
the students on Thursday.

At a time when the Urban Local Bodies
are keen on developing Public Private Partnership (PPP) models as an
effective method to scientifically manage tonnes of solid waste
generated daily in cities, young entrepreneurs should tap the
opportunity, he said.

“You can start by sensitising people of the
importance of segregating solid waste at the source by forming an
organisation. You can take a ward or two and demonstrate the good
practice of effective solid waste management. The local municipality
will be happy to outsource their work and you start building a network,”
Mr. Uday Singh said to a student who asked him about the ways to build a
working model.

Taking the students on a detour of various issues
confronting the planet, Mr. Singh said that the biggest challenge is the
greenhouse gas emissions which have been heating up the earth
considerably over the last few years.

With India being a signatory
to an accord signed among the developing nations to control carbon
emissions, a concerted effort has begun in municipalities towards
earning carbon footprints. The renewed focus on solar energy was the
direct result of the accord, he said.

Recycling of solid waste also presents a wonderful business opportunity to those willing to work hard, he said.

Citing
his experience in Tenali municipality, he said that they have earned
Rs.26 lakh by recycling 1,240 MT of solid waste, the highest revenue in
graded municipalities across the country.

Secretary of KKR & KSR Institute of Technology K. Sekhar, principal P. Babu were present.