Central Railway Establishes Solid Waste Management Compost Plants Across Maharashtra

Central Railway is dedicated to achieving environmental sustainability targets by implementing various measures in collaboration with the Environment and House-keeping Management (EnHM) department. These initiatives align with the norms set by the Honourable National Green Tribunal (NGT) and Railway Board, focusing on waste management.

Compost Plants For Solid Waste Management

Environmental sustainability need not be restricted to water or energy conservation alone. Waste Management is a significant chapter for a vast transport organisation like railways that deals with millions of passengers and transportation activities. Waste Management is all about turning waste into proper usable stuff and preventing environmental pollution. As part of its waste management strategy, Central Railway has established compost plants across its divisions to effectively manage solid waste and promote eco-friendly practices. Noteworthy initiatives include:

Leaf Composting at Solapur Depot

Central Railway's New Coaching Complex at Solapur Depot has successfully implemented a leaf composting program. Fallen leaves from the ground are collected and deposited into rectangular beds, allowing nature to decompose them along with kitchen waste. This in-house composting process produces zero-cost manure, which significantly enhances the fertility of railways' plantations and gardens.

Kitchen Waste Composting at Miraj Running Room

The Miraj Running Room in the Pune Division has adopted a kitchen waste composting technique. Bio-degradable waste, such as vegetable and fruit peels, along with food waste, is accumulated in cylindrical compost pits of approximately 5 feet in height and 5 feet in diameter. After a natural decomposition process, the compost becomes available for use as fertiliser in the small garden maintained by the railways.

Compost Initiatives at Other Locations

Central Railway has installed compost bins and compost tumbler plants at Bhusaval and Lonavala stations, the railway colony in Pune, and Matunga Workshop. These facilities effectively convert food, vegetable, and fruit waste into high-quality compost, supporting the development of lush gardens.

During the previous year, Central Railway established four compost plants, including those in the Coaching Complex at Solapur, and in Manmad, Khandwa, and Badnera of the Bhusawal Division.

Bottle Crushing Machines

In addition to waste management, Central Railway has taken significant steps to promote recycling and reduce plastic waste through the installation of bottle-crushing machines. As part of the Swachh Bharat project and Go Green Mission, the railway has installed 47 plastic bottle-crushing machines at various stations across its divisions as given below:

• CSMT, Dadar, Ghatkopar, Kalyan, Kurla, Lonavala, Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, Mulund, Panvel, Thane, Vikhroli of Mumbai Diviison.

• Akola, Badnera, Bhusawal, Jalgaon, Khandwa, Manmad, Shegaon, Nashik road of Bhusawal Division. 

• Nagpur, Wardha, Betul, Ajni of Nagpur Division.

• Solapur, Kurudwadi, Latur, Ahmednagar, Kopargaon, Sainagar Shirdi of Solapur Division. 

• Pune, Miraj of Pune Division.

These machines encourage passengers and staff to dispose of plastic bottles responsibly, minimising environmental pollution and promoting a cleaner and greener railway environment.

Central Railway remains committed to environmental sustainability and will continue to implement innovative initiatives to reduce its ecological footprint. These efforts align with the larger goal of creating a cleaner, greener, and more sustainable railway network for the benefit of passengers and future generations.