The Hindu 04.11.2013
Waste treatment plant turns a profitable venture here
The workers at the biodegradable waste treatment plant at the Kumily
grama panchayat at Murikkady in Idukki district.– Photo: By Special
Arrangement
The biodegradable waste treatment
plant at Murikkady, started in 2009, has become a permanent source of
income for the workers employed here. It has a vermicompost unit
producing manure. The Clean Kumily and Green Kumily Society, which paved
the way for setting up the plant, is making an income of Rs. 60,000 per
month through the sale of manure and collection of waste.
“In
fact, the waste collection was started on a small scale in 2006 but
after the formation of the society the plant provided a solution to
manage all the biodegradable waste generated in the Kumily grama
panchayat,” said the society manager Aisy Prasanth.
Great demand
Currently,
the plant employs 20 workers. The manure produced at the plant is in
great demand, especially among the cardamom planters.The manager said it
took at least 90 days for the vermicompost unit to produce manure from
the waste. She added that at times the society was not able meet the
demand from the buyers.
A-grade manure is sold at a
rate of Rs.6 per kg and the second grade is sold at Rs.3 per kg. She
said the product was popular among farmers since cow dung was also added
to the manure.
The society charges Rs.150 -Rs.3, 000
for the collection of waste depending on the quantity. The workers
collect waste from hotels, resorts, vegetable shops and even from the
venue of a function such as a marriage.
They also collect waste from household units in areas where more number of people are staying.
The
society’s executive committee has representatives from the business
community, the police, the Periyar Tiger Reserve and the agriculture
office.
The grama panchayat president is the chairman of the society.