Puttur To Become India’s First City Council To Convert Waste To CNG

Puttur City Municipal of Dakshina Kannada district is taking significant strides towards addressing its longstanding garbage problem by pioneering a project to convert raw garbage into Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). This initiative, which is now in its final stages of development, is set to make Puttur the first city council in India to implement such a project at the municipal level. The project is a response to the environmental and health concerns raised by the Puttur municipal council’s dumping yard, which was identified as hazardous after a fire broke out, raising alarms about the impact on the environment and public health.

The initiative is a collaborative effort involving the Rotary Club, Charitable Trust of Puttur East, Swachh Bharat Trust, and Green Energy Organizations of Krishna Muli. Together, these organizations have established a bio-CNG plant at the dumping yard in Bannur, with an investment of approximately Rs 3 crore. This plant, which will soon be officially commissioned, marks a transformative step in waste management for the city.

The bio-CNG plant is designed to process around 8 tonnes of sorted green waste collected daily from the Puttur Municipal Council, converting it into approximately 500 kilograms of CNG each day. This CNG will not only fuel all the garbage collection vehicles operated by the Municipal Corporation but will also be available for private vehicles, contributing to a significant reduction in the city’s reliance on diesel and other fossil fuels. The introduction of two new CNG vehicles specifically for the Municipal Corporation highlights the city’s commitment to using this cleaner energy source.

In addition to producing CNG, the plant will also generate slurry, a byproduct that can be used as organic fertiliser, further contributing to the city’s sustainability efforts. This dual-purpose production underscores the project’s potential for broader environmental benefits, including the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and the promotion of organic farming practices. The initiative also addresses the unpleasant odours and environmental degradation that have plagued the city due to the existing garbage dump. By converting the dumping yard into a bio-CNG production site and eventually into a green park, the project aims to eliminate the mountains of waste and the stench that has long been associated with the site.