Government should have standards for waste management equipment that emphasise sustainability across the life cycle of the processing equipment, says Jaideep Saptarshi, Executive Director, VermigoldEcotech Pvt Ltd, in conversation with Sagarika Ranjan.
Please share your vision behind beginning Vermigold?
The company was formed to specifically address the need for an innovative and technologically sound provider of Environmentally Sound Technologies (EST) in the arena of waste management in India. We are a specialized company providing the very best in class solutions for the on-site recycling of organic waste.
How does waste management help in optimisation of material use in the wake of the environmental degradation?
Historically the investment in waste processing infrastructure in India has been minimal. This has resulted in grave risk to health of citizens since wastes at dumping ground release lethal methane gases that result in global warming and add to the pollution levels in a city. Due to lack of efficient waste processing infrastructure in our country, several forward thinking organisations are installing on-site waste management systems that dispose off organic waste at site and convert this waste into a valuable resource.
How is Mining Industrial waste as a resource in Circular Economy?
Recycling of Organic waste through vermicomposting gives two valuable end products viz; vermicompost and vermi-wash liquid fertilizer that result in a valuable resource being generated in thecircular economy.
What are your expectations from the policy instruments for efficient waste management?
Government should have standards for waste management equipment that emphasise sustainability not only over the procurement but across the entire life cycle of the waste processing equipment in line with global best practices.
What are the challenges being faced in the waste management industry? Please provide detail on any particular issue that is most important.
In many cities it is being made mandatory to have on-site waste management systems at source of waste generation for new large construction projects. We see that many of these projects show systems are installed on paper, but in reality there are non-working machines that serve of no use to the end users. There has to be better audit by Government agencies to ensure the implementation of rules for the benefit of society.