Aero India 2015: Inspired by PM’s Swachh Bharat Mission, MoD ropes in waste management firm

AFS Yelahanka (Bengaluru), Feb 15: Among the many first-time initiatives that are being put in place at AFS Yelahanka, ahead of the 10th Aero India, the unique organic waste management plan has already caught the attention of many.

While the inspiring breeze of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Make in India campaign have already spread across the ‘Plane Carnival' venue, his Swachh Bharath Mission (Clean India) too is making its presence felt strongly.

During a walk-the-talk-session organized for the members of Forum of Aerospace and Defence Journalists, Bangalore (FDAJB), on Saturday, M D Singh, Director, Defence Exhibition Organisation, under the Ministry of Defence (MoD), told OneIndia that automatic compositing machines have been installed in and around the venue.

"It is been mandatory that any waste generated out of the food will have to be treated organically using these state-of-the-art machines. If we can control waste and garbage, it will help keeping the birds away. All toilets to be used by the general public have been converted air conditioned now," adds Singh.

Features of R-Nature

Abhishek Gupta, Director of Reddonatura said that their automatic composting machine -- R-Nature -- will be operational on all five days of the show, starting February 18.

"The waste generated by the three massive food courts (catering to more than 50,000 people every day) at the venue will be recycled in an eco-friendly manner into compost in 24 hours. We are offering a complete organic waste-management solution featuring best-in-class expert services," says Abhishek.

The mixer and heater inside the machine take care of compositing. The mixer in the main composting tank ensures the culture is evenly distributed and the heater ensures it is at the right temperature to convert waste into compost. A sensor automatically stops the mixer when the lid is open.

No manpower needed

"The air inlet and exhaust system keeps the air circulating and the odor at a minimum. With the dual process of treatment of moisture and the bacterial culture together, the wet waste decomposes to compostable matter in just 24 hours with a volume reduction of almost up to 80 per cent to 85 per cent."

"The by-product is organic fertilizer, which can be used for agriculture and landscape purposes," adds Abhishek.

B P Gupta, mentor for Team Reddonatura, said that R-Nature does not require any dedicated manpower to operate it.

"A person is required only on a part-time basis to add the waste when it's generated. When the process is completed, the machine would give out an indication. A touch screen panel has all the parameters of the machine displayed as well," says Gupta.

First attempt at Aero India 2015

At Aero India 2015, out of the three food courts, two are open to the general public. In addition there are chalets accessible only to a few.

"Our efforts at Aero India would be just not to process the organic food waste alone. We want to encourage people on segregation and make them understand that waste is not a waste but a resource if handled and processed properly," says Abhishek.

Team Reddonatura plans to collect data from the event to check the quantity of food waste being processed by the machine, preventing them from heading to landfills in city.

"This would help us set an example on decentralised waste processing to the government authorities and to the public," adds Abhishek, who heads operations across 12 cities in India.

(The writer is a seasoned aerospace and defence journalist in India. He is the Consultant Editor (Defence) with OneIndia. He tweets @writetake.)