According to a highly-placed official of TNPCB, nearly 100 tonnes of compost is being generated in the city every day from food and vegetable waste and the board is studying the possibilities of making use of this compost for the beautification of the state highways. “About 70-100 tonnes of compost is generated in the city every day from nearly 400 tonnes of food and other biodegradable wastes. Already, several private firms have started initiatives to process and collect these organic wastes from different city locations. Based on our preliminary reports, the total waste generated in the city could be used for the development of beautiful landscapes along the four-lane highway belts and the department will soon initiate this project,” a senior TNPCB official told Deccan Chronicle.

TNPCB sources maintained that the department has made it mandatory for all industries to set up organic waste treatment plants to get environmental clearance. “About 5-15 tonnes of organic waste is generated in each and every industry. Hotel and these sectors would be the main target of decentralised organic waste management project.”

At the same time, more and more private firms have started entering into this waste management industry. “We have got about 20 orders for solid organic waste converters (SOWC). Most of the enquiries are from city-based industries, hotels, marriage halls and software parks and the converter, with a capacity of 25 kg per hour, would cost Rs 2 lakh. We also design systems according to the demands of customers in different quantities,” said Mr P. Chellappan of Kingsun Enviro private limited, one of the first firms in south India to introduce waste converters for the urban environment.