When you think of vegetable and fruit markets in India, you’re often met with messy visuals of vegetable shavings trampled on the floor, bustling crowds and bargaining vendors. The foul smell of leftover and damaged produce lying on the ground is not only unpleasant but also amounts to tonnes of waste generated at the end of the day.
But, at the Bowenpally fruit and vegetable market in Hyderabad, the vegetable waste generated is used to power street lights and shops.
“Over the last six months, 10 tonnes of waste that is generated daily is then converted into 500 units of electricity. It is used to power 120 street lights, 170 shops, and a cold storage unit,” says Lokini Srinivas, Selection Grade Secretary, Bowenpally market.
“Using the same waste, 30kg of biogas is produced through this process and is replacing LPG cooking gas in the canteen at the market,” he explains, adding that the market uses 800 to 900 units of electricity every day, and now 80% of the power supply…