Butwal Launches Waste Processing Center to Produce Bricks from Plastic Waste, Aiming for Income Generation

Butwal. With the objective of making waste management profitable, a waste processing center has been established in Butwal, initiating the production of bricks from plastic waste through a cooperative model integrating the community.

According to Krishna Bahadur Karki, Chairman of the Butwal Sanitation and Environmental Protection Cooperative Society, the plastic blocks produced from the processing center are useful for road beautification and other construction works.

The cooperative, established in 2077 BS, has residents of Butwal Wards No. 7 and 8 as its shareholders. Currently, waste is being transported daily to the Shivnagar Community Forest in Butwal, which is then processed, linking it to income generation.

Waste management for Wards No. 7 and 8 has been underway since last year through the collaboration of Butwal Sub-Metropolitan City, Shivnagar Forest User Committee, and the cooperative. After processing the collected waste from these wards, compost fertilizer is produced from biodegradable waste, and blocks are being manufactured from non-biodegradable waste and plastics.

The Sub-Metropolitan City provided the structure (truss) for operating the processing center, while UNDP and the Coca-Cola Foundation supplied the machinery for waste segregation and plastic brick production, stated Chairman Karki.

This new approach to waste management in Butwal follows a different style, advancing the work through a new partnership after a previously planned project, which was to be operated with support from the Asian Development Bank, failed.

According to Sandeep Khanal, a member from Butwal Ward No. 7, a new practice has been initiated to produce blocks even from waste that cannot be used in recycling industries, such as tobacco, gutkha, and chip packets. He added that plastic bottles, aluminum, iron, and rubber are sold to industries for reuse after processing.

Butwal Sub-Metropolitan City Mayor Khelraj Pandey stated that the challenge of waste management in Butwal has been a long-standing problem. While the process for constructing a dumping site has moved forward, it has not been completed due to various reasons. He praised the effort to connect the community through a cooperative to manage locally generated waste and link it to employment and income generation.

He expressed confidence in making community-based waste management sustainable and effective. Mentioning that the process to acquire 10 bighas of land within Shiv Nagar Community Forest is underway, he stated that there are plans to construct a park alongside the processing center in the future.  

Butwal generates about 77 tons of waste daily, of which about 15 percent is plastic waste. Currently, 15 tons of waste from Wards No. 7 and 8 are being managed through this processing center daily.

Mayor Pandey revealed that currently, 36 people are employed at this center, and it is expected that about 400 people will gain employment if this is expanded to all wards. He stated that Butwal's experiment is a lesson for other cities in Nepal.

“Waste is not a problem; if managed correctly, it is also a huge opportunity,” said Mayor Pandey.

He expressed confidence that when plastic bricks are laid on the streets of Butwal, they will demonstrate a new form of self-reliance and creativity.

Distinct Identity of the Cooperative

Most cooperatives regularly provide savings and loan services. The Butwal Sanitation and Environmental Protection Cooperative Society has established itself as an institution based not only on profit but also on cooperation, equality, and collective interest.

Butwal Sanitation and Environmental Protection Cooperative Chairman Krishna Bahadur Karki stated that under the 'One House, One Member' campaign, arrangements have been made for shares ranging from 1,000 to 5,000 rupees.

Established in 2077 BS, this cooperative currently has 1,200 shareholders from Wards No. 7 and 8. Karki mentioned plans to expand this to other wards.

The cooperative was registered with the municipality with the objective of collaborating in the field of environmental protection in Butwal. While members in other cooperatives save money daily or monthly, in this one, one can join the income generation process after becoming a shareholder once.

Currently, the cooperative has a capital of about 4 million rupees, and 32 people are employed. An agreement has been made to divide the income of this cooperative among the shareholders, Shiv Nagar Community Forest, and Butwal Municipality by percentage.

Shareholders receive the majority share, while a small percentage goes to the forest and a small percentage to the municipality. According to Chairman Karki, the cooperative is currently earning income from the sale of fertilizer made from biodegradable waste, and income will further increase with the sale of plastic bricks soon.

He informed that waste is collected on alternate days: one day for biodegradable and the next for non-biodegradable waste. He explained that the cooperative's vehicle goes door-to-door, and upon bringing the waste to the industry, it is segregated and processed as needed.