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Varanasi Municipal Corporation (VMC) has inaugurated a ‘Material Recovery Facility (MRF)’ set up in partnership with Tetra Pak, Deutsche Gesellschaft für International Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) as part of “Development and Management of Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) in India” at Bhawania Pokhri, Belupur to increase collection of recyclable waste and help strengthen the waste management in the city.
The NAMA project is funded by the Federal Ministry of the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU), Germany. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Government of India is the nodal Ministry for the NAMA project.
The new MRF will function as a waste sorting centre where plastic, mixed-waste paper, paper-based cartons, etc. are separated and baled. While the MRF will focus on dry waste, the location of the MRF has been chosen strategically as the compound also hosts a VMC biogas plant to process the wet waste collected and turn it into electricity, making it a truly ‘zero-waste’ site.
The land for the facility at Bhawania Pokhri has been provided by VMC, Tetra Pak has provided the equipment and in partnership with NAMA project of GIZ and TERI is providing technical expertise related to ‘Municipal Solid Waste’ (MSW) management with an objective to reduce ‘Green House Gases’ (GHG) emissions from waste management sector. The initiative will also support the awareness and capacity-building for waste-pickers across the city. GIZ and TERI are together responsible for driving awareness among consumers about the segregation of waste at source, as well as educating the waste-picker community on the best waste management practices.
Jaideep Gokhale, Vice President Sustainability, Tetra Pak Asia Pacific said, “We strongly believe that recycling can turn waste into wealth. For more than 16 years we have been working towards creating a sustainable collection and recycling ecosystem for our paper-based and fully recyclable packages. Today this ecosystem covers more than 23 cities in India and 1 in every 2 carton packages sold in India is recycled. We are happy to share our expertise and experience with committed partners such as VMC, TERI and GIZ to help realise PM Modi’s vision of a ‘Swachh Bharat’ and further increase collection and recycling of used paper-based cartons.”