CIJ News, December 10, 2013
The National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), a 19th century mental hospital declared a Deemed University by the University Grants Commission, is probably India’s first medical facility to have declared that it has gone completely “zero waste”.
NIMHANS recently inaugurated its organic waste converter that takes care of the green and kitchen waste on the sprawling 139-acre campus. It functions under the direction of Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. So far, no hospital in India has declared itself as zero waste premises.
Additional Secretary of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, C.K. Mishra has said that it is a matter of national importance that this premier medical institute has worked methods to treat its biomedical wastes and organic wastes to bring it to the zero waste level.
Around 300kg of green waste is collected every day in hospital campus where nearly 3,000 people live. As part of the campaign, all wet waste from all residential complexes and canteen is being processed in the organic waste converter along with the green waste.