Aafrin Kidwai 
Picture credit: by Couleur from Pixabay
`Mo Khata’ or ‘My Compost’ generated from waste and sold at various designated outlets across Odisha’s urban areas is generating an encouraging response. As many as 110 of the 114 urban local bodies (ULBs) in Odisha now produce this organic compost being sold in 159 outlets across the State. A bag of 5 kg of the compost is available for Rs. 100, and 20 kg for Rs. 400 at a discounted rate, reports Frontline.
The decentralised initiative of solid waste management through the micro-composting initiative of the Odisha government’s Housing & Urban Development Department began with Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik laying the foundation stones of Micro Composting Centres (MCCs) and material recovery facilities (MRFs) in August 2019.
With more than 2,000 Mission Shakti women SHGs, transgender people and ragpickers’ groups involved, this initiative has transformed these MCCs and MRFs into ‘Wealth Centres’. About 600 metric tonnes of wet waste is being processed every day in the State of which about 15% turns into compost.
No contractors are involved in this process and resources generated from the sale of the compost as well as the recyclables and non-recyclables were being deposited in the corpus fund of the MCCs.
