South Asian News Network

Godavari (Kailali), March 5: Dhangadhi Sub-municipality Corporation has been making a good income by converting waste produced by its citizens into wealth. The Waste Segregation Centre based at ward no-2 has so far earned Rs 4.55 million by selling biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste. The center earned Rs 2.55 million in the last fiscal year and Rs 2 million in the first eight months of the current fiscal year. According to Ashok Awasthi, head of Dhangadi’s environment, drinking water and sanitation management branch, the center came into operation since the beginning of last fiscal year 2080/081. Nanda Devi Service Center has been contracted for five years to run the centre. Currently, the center collects 21 tons of waste daily from nine of the 19 wards of the sub-metropolis and sells it after sorting the waste into different forms and categories. In the remaining 10 wards, garbage is being collected by placing dustbins in commercial centers through a cleanliness campaign. At the centre, plastic, iron, tin, aluminum, rubber, shoes, and paper are all being sold after being segregated “70 percent of the collected waste is being put to use, and biogas is being extracted from the biodegradable waste,” Awasthi said. Three machines have been installed at the classification center to shred and compress waste including paper and plastic. The center operator, Hasta Bahadur Shah, said that the waste collected from the market is being sold in markets including Dhangadhi, Biratnagar, Bhairahawa and Dang. Currently, 140 people have been employed at the centre.