Bengaluru: In a move aimed at reducing textile waste and promoting a landfill-free city, Bengaluru has got its first ‘Circular Textile Lab’ at the Integrated Solid Waste Management Centre in Koramangala.
The facility, along with a newly established Solid Waste Learning Centre, was inaugurated recently to promote recycling, resource recovery and awareness about scientific waste management.
The textile lab will process waste collected from garment and tailoring units and convert discarded fabric into reusable and marketable products.
Bags, wallets and bedsheets from discarded fabric
Cloth scraps collected from garment and tailoring establishments will be used to make a range of products, including bags, wallets and bedsheets.
The initiative is aimed at reducing the volume of textile waste sent to landfills while also creating livelihood opportunities for local communities.
The Solid Waste Learning Centre will provide practical training in waste management to students, apartment residents, employees of commercial establishments and civic workers. Several educational institutions, including RV institutions, have joined the initiative.
13 tonnes of waste processed every day
The centre also houses a bio-methanisation unit capable of processing 13 tonnes of raw waste a day. The biogas generated through the process is supplied as fuel to hotels in the surrounding areas.
A 25-tonne-capacity mini transfer station has also been established to streamline waste transportation.
The facility has provisions for recycling different categories of waste. Thermocol waste is melted and converted into solid material before being sent to Delhi, where it is used to manufacture products such as photo frames. There is also a system to recover and recycle fibres from discarded mattresses that are otherwise considered unusable.
Doorstep collection of bulky waste
As part of efforts to improve waste management at the neighbourhood level, a doorstep collection system has also been launched in the BTM Layout Assembly constituency for bulky waste such as old sofas, couches and tables.
Bangalore South Municipal Corporation Commissioner K.N. Ramesh, BSWML CEO Karigowda, Chamundeshwari, Sasikala, former corporation members Chandrappa and Govardhana Reddy, Padmashri Balaram, officials, local representatives and citizens were present at the inauguration.