MANGALURU: Numerous apartment complexes in the city are implementing sustainable waste management techniques by converting household wet waste into organic compost. This approach not only decreases the amount of waste sent to landfills but also generates a modest revenue stream for resident welfare associations.
Many apartments are investing in Organic Waste Composter (OWC) machines that can transform wet waste into compost within a day. The produced compost is sold to residents and others. While machine-based composting is on the rise, several residential complexes still use traditional vermicomposting, which takes several weeks to complete.
At Canopy, a luxury apartment complex with over 250 units near Ashoknagar, their in-house composting unit processes about 180 kg of wet waste daily, yielding nearly 60 kg of compost. Umesh Rao, a committee member of the Canopy Apartment Association, explained that the decision to install the machine came after visits to other complexes in the area. The new system was implemented in July 2024, replacing a previous black soldier fly composting model that residents struggled with. Rao noted the new technology transforms all generated wet waste into high-quality compost in just one day. Compost is sold at Rs 3 per kg, although the production cost hovers around Rs 8–Rs 9 per kg. He also mentioned that the machine consumes significant electricity and needs dedicated staff to operate.
General Secretary Shavina Soans remarked that this initiative exceeds simple source segregation and has led to a 50% reduction in waste collection tax for each resident. Testing confirmed the compost contains necessary nutrients.
Another luxury complex, Planet SKS, has utilized the same technology for the last four years. Apartment manager Omayya Poojary shared that they generate roughly 70–80 kg of wet waste daily, with about half converted into compost, which is sold at Rs 1 per kg. Poojary highlighted that Planet SKS was one of the first complexes in the city to embrace this technology, inspiring many others to follow suit due to benefits like reduced odors, fewer pests, quicker processing, and improved compost quality.
Conversely, some apartments continue to prefer vermicomposting. Kevin Santosh Nazareth, a committee member of Fernhill Apartments, detailed that their complex produces around 65–80 kg of wet waste daily, leading to approximately 1,300 kg of compost monthly through vermicomposting, though this method takes several weeks.
Some complexes have also installed incinerators for disposing of dry waste such as leaves. However, residents revealed that these units lacked the necessary no-objection certificates from the pollution control board, requiring the waste to be sent to the corporation for disposal.
