To benefit 18 villages in the area
Embassy Services Pvt. Ltd. has partnered with the Bettahalasuru Panchayat to build a Dry and Wet Waste Collection Centre benefiting 18 villages under EcoGram, its flagship environment initiative. Initiated in 2016, EcoGram is a sustainable CSR project of Embassy in partnership with TAICT, which jointly aims to create an ecologically sound replicable model Gram Panchayat to propagate sustainable waste, water and soil management. With current operations spread across eight villages in the Bettahalasuru Panchayat benefitting 1811 households and 10 bulk generators, Embassy has invested Rs. 2.25 Cr. over the last four years towards decentralised solid waste collection.
Recognising the in-depth work carried out by Embassy and TAICT, the Panchayat signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Embassy, allocating two acres of land dedicated to collection and segregation of dry and wet waste. The Panchayats have requested Embassy to build the Dry and Wet Waste Collection Centre, with a greater capacity for gathering and sorting waste. This will enable the extension of waste collection from the present eight villages to eighteen villages, over two Panchayats. The Centre will be built at the cost of Rs. 1 Cr. with the Bettahalasuru Panchayat contributing 9 lakhs. Embassy has appointed TAICT to oversee the development and operations of the Dry and Wet Waste Centre.
Over 268 tons of dry waste and 289 tons of wet waste have been collected and ethically disposed till date, reaching a segregation level of 92% at source. The collected organic waste is then converted into compost, and the recyclable waste is sorted within the Gram Panchayat. Embassy currently funds the day-to-day operations at a cost of around 60 lakhs annually, including door-to-door waste collection, utilities, equipment for waste segregation, the salaries of the staff and vehicles.
