Varanasi Junction to become zero-waste railway station

Efforts are being made to make Varanasi junction station a zero-waste railway station, a first-of-its-kind green initiative, to guarantee bare minimum transfer of any waste materials from the main rail premises of the holy city. The project envisions complete segregation and recycling of all waste materials developed from the station, which would be reused as manure while treated wastewater will be utilised for irrigation. Besides, afforestation will additionally take place along the tracks near the rail premises as a pilot project. Northern Railway has held a waste audit of the station to comprehend the nature and quantity of the waste materials. The audit has studied the waste being collected in the bins set up inside and outside platforms. The audit has additionally considered the waste being disposed of at the dumping site near the platforms. Describing the concept of zero waste station, a senior railway authority concerned with the project told the media that the primary idea is to decrease the transfer of waste materials from the station to a bare minimum while accumulating all waste materials which have metal and glass, soiled matter, paper waste, single-use and multilayer plastic, textile waste from the station and recycle it accordingly. The emphasis is on source segregation and installing a material recovery facility to retrieve and recycle dry waste. They are additionally installing plants for organic solid waste management for composting and bio-methanation. The recycling process would include biodegradable waste and low-value dry waste after the segregation. While the recycled dry waste would be utilised as manure for farming, recycled water would be utilised for irrigation. There is a plan for tree plantation of native species along the tracks near the station to transform it into a mini forest. With the whole station having bio-toilets, recycling of the wastewater is the next measure in this direction, the official added. Replacement of diesel locomotives by electric locomotives with the completion of electrification work is additionally decreasing the pollution generated by diesel. Image Source