Page 25 - Clean India Journal Magazine June 2019 Issue
P. 25

COVER STORY







                             is vast: Food waste, paper, tin, glass,   treatment plants, where it undergoes continuous aeration that
                             plastic, hazardous, biomedical,    encourages the growth of bacteria which digest its organic
                             construction, etc. Using Chassis-  constituents. After several stages of filtration, it is used for
                             mounted Hydraulic Compactors, Auto   flushing purposes in the passenger terminal, as well as for
                             Tippers, Multi Cap Refuse Collectors   landscaping. A whopping 46% of RGIA’s water need is met
                             and other devices, this waste is   by its own recycled water.
                             collected and brought to a centralised   Stakeholder sensitisation
                             waste processing facility. Here, waste
                             is segregated into various categories.   An airport is managed by several agencies, each of which
                             While the passenger terminals have   is itself under the authority of a different body. Members
                             always two bins side-by-side for   of some agencies, such as the CISF and Customs, are
                             wet and dry waste collection, not all   frequently transferred just as they are beginning to adapt to
                             passengers put the right waste in the   RGIA’s ethos. GMR facilitates better coordination between
                             right bin. “But over time, our need   these agencies for better results. Five years ago, it launched
                             to segregate waste is reducing. More   a program called Rishta, to impart soft-skills training to
                             and more people are conscious about   airport employees.
                             separating different kinds of garbage.”   “Here we have stakeholder engagement. We make them
                               Food waste is mixed with sawdust   drivers of projects. We give them timelines, and see how
                             and digesting bacteria; open-air,   they deliver. We are working for a cultural change towards
                             aerobic composting is done, and up to   being sensitive to the environment.”
                             two tonnes of compost produced every
                             day. This compost is used in place
                             of chemical fertilisers for the airport
                             landscaping, and at on-site vegetable
                             farms. RGIA was the first Indian
                             airport to set up its own composting
                             plant.

                               Non-biodegradable waste is
                             collected and separated according
                             to categories. Hazardous waste
                             is put into closed containers and
                             appropriately disposed to the
                             authorised agencies. E-waste is
                             collected by the IT department and
                             handed over to authorised recyclers.
                             Even oil and grease from aircraft
                             maintenance is collected and handed
                             over to the authorised agencies for the
                             reprocessing. . Since the new terminal
                             is being built and the existing one
                             remodelled, excavated soil is shifted
                             to low-lying areas, and steel waste and
                             wood waste are sent to recyclers.

                               Wastewater is collected, treated
                             and reused at the airport itself. It
                             is pumped through a closed-pipe
                             system to two in-house sewage


                                                                                                    Clean India Journal
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                                                                                                         June 2019
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