Plant at MCC dumpyard turning coconut shells into peat and coir

MANGALURU, Karnataka: A coco peat and coir manufacturing unit, a pilot project, has been set up by a private entity called Bhuvi Renewable Energies, at the waste dumpyard of the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC). This waste processing unit could process around 15 tonnes of tender coconut shells that the corporation collects every day.

This coco peat and coir manufacturing unit will lighten the burden of the corporation as it does not have to stress about the coconut shells which are brought to the dump yard in Pachanady every day.

The coco peat produced by the waste processing unit will be supplied to the farming sector and coco coir will be provided to the industries.

Sangeetha R Nayak, Corporator of Pachanady ward, informed that the city corporation undertook the pilot project through an agency five months ago. She said, “The agency Bhuvi Renewable Energies has been given the task of managing tender coconut shells collected from shops in the city. In fact, it is a major burden for the city corporation that tonnes of tender coconut shells also go to the landfill site.

The city corporation has been collecting tender coconut shells from various shops in the city. The agency has started processing the tender coconut shells in a shed provided at the dumpyard in Pachanady.” She added, “While coco peat is used as a growing medium for plants in gardening and horticulture farms, coir is a major industrial raw material. As of now, the agency has been finding the market for the product. The city corporation will monitor the process for six months, and later decide about extension of the contract.”