PUNE: It was in September last year, when the Pune Municipal Corporation set up a waste-to-energy
plant in Hadapsar that uses 300 tonnes of waste everyday and generates 3
MW electricity. The municipal body can use more of the 1,600 metric
tonne garbage Pune produces everyday in similar projects with the financial support offered in the budget on Thursday, said experts.

“The union government’s support to local civic bodies initiating
waste-to-energy project is a welcome move as garbage disposal is a
concern in all cities,” said environmental expert Amar Dhere.

Suresh Jagtap, joint commissioner and incharge of municipal solid waste said, “Electricity generated at Rochem Green project
in Hadapsar industrial estate is sold to the Maharashtra state
electricity distribution company Ltd.” The body, in addition to the green energy
project, also has 12 bio gas plants that process five tonne waste to
generate methane gas which helps meet electricity requirements of the
garbage processing plant and street lights in the area.

“The
Hadapsar plant has capacity to generate 10 MW electricity from 700 tonne
waste. The plant will function to its full capacity by May. There are
15 more bio gas plants currently under construction. Once, all of them
are operational, they will use 75 tonnes waste every day, taking total
waste utilization to 850 tonnes,” said Jagtap.

Officials said the viability gap funding component in the budget will
help cover fund shortage for setting up small plants having a processing
capacity of 150 to 200 tonne. The civic body was earlier disposing all
the solid waste at Urali Devachi, 30 km from Pune which posed a threat
to the health of locals and also the environment.