Moumita Bhattacharjee 
Durgapur-based CSIR institute’s decentralised solid waste processing facility has devised a new technology that can be installed at residential complexes, shopping complexes, to convert all waste into useful end products, including plastic.
As per a report in The Times Of India, the system doesn’t require segregation of waste at the household level. The residue that is generated can be used as a fertiliser for agriculture purposes and the constituents which can’t be used anywhere could be put to use make bricks for construction practices. As for plastics, the new facility has the ability to turn plastic into gas and fuel.
Harish Hirani, Director – Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CMERI) said that one unit, having the capacity to process one tonne of waste, can be upgraded to generate 10 tonnes of wastes. The model is affordable for a residential area with 1000 families and can also be modified to be used for the colony or market model which can bring down transport costs.
The CSIR’s CMERI facility has the ability to take care of a variety of wastes likes masks, sanitary napkins, diapers, etc. It also claimed to have disinfection attributes to break the COVID infection chain through UV-C lights and hot-air convection methods.
