Housing society in Pune uses leftover food to light its parks

Savitri Bai Patil used to associate garbage disposal with stinking, putrefied heaps of trash strewn about her Pune neighbourhood four years ago. However, the streets of the Ashok Meadows housing complex, where she lives, are now clean, with workers regularly picking up trash from residents' doorsteps and converting some of it into electricity. Since 2017, the complex has disposed of its food waste in a digester, which converts it to biogas, which is used to power the neighbourhood's streetlights, social club, park and gym. similar to the one used in Ashok Meadows. Over 75 biogas generators have now been installed across India. According to company president Jalaj Kumar Chaturvedi, the EnergyBin systems, developed by Pune-based Xeon Waste Managers (XWM), allow communities to convert waste into free, renewable energy. The complex's system has helped dispose of nearly a tonne of garbage per day, according to Ashok Meadows resident Rishika Mahalley. Before purchasing the generator for 2.3 million Indian rupees or $31,000, the community struggled with unreliable municipal garbage collection, which often resulted in waste piling up. Waste pickers paid by Ashok Meadows residents deposit between 550 kg and 600 kg or 1,300 pounds of food waste into the biogas plant, according to Mahalley. When organic matter decomposes, flammable gases such as methane and carbon dioxide are produced. The methane is then pressurised and piped into a power generator, which burns the gas to provide the community with 50 kilowatt-hours of electricity each day. According to Mahalley, the complex used to spend about 550 rupees, or $7.50 per day, on electricity for streetlights and other common facilities before the plant was installed, a cost that has now virtually vanished. Residents can also save up to Rs 6,000 or $82 per month on the municipal garbage disposal. Image Source Also read: North Delhi municipal corp to develop plastic waste processing plant