BBMP plans to set up four animal waste processing units.

A common complaint these days is the manner in which animal waste, from butcher shops and hotels, is being discarded in the city. More often than not, the waste is simply thrown into drains, resulting in clogging and other issues.

Bengaluru has at least 3,600 meat shops that produce over 150 tonnes of animal waste every day and not even a gram of it is processed.

This might soon change. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) plans to open four animal waste processing plants to convert the waste into high protein powder to be used as canine and aqua feed.

Sarfaraz Khan, Joint Commissioner, Solid Waste Management (SWM), BBMP, said that two technologies are widely used across the world: incineration (burning of waste) and rendering.

In the latter, waste is rendered into a fine protein powder used in animal feed.

“There are two private rendering plants in Malur and Doddaballapur,” said Mr. Khan.

Civic officials have visited the Malur plant and will soon decide on the most suitable rendering technology for their plants.

A separate system for collection of animal waste and processing has been a long-standing demand of SWM experts.

N.S. Ramakanth, member, SWM Expert Committee, BBMP, said, “Animal waste, if untreated, can be a source of diseases as well.”

C.S. Srinivas, a veterinarian and poultry farmer, has been running a rendering plant in Doddaballapur since 2012. From each bird (poultry), the wastage generated is around 25%, including the legs, non-edible portions and feathers.

Waste is first heated in a boiler for over five hours, reducing it to an oily slurry. It is then dried to remove moisture. “The yield of high protein powder is about 45% of the animal waste,” says Dr. Srinivas. The process has been widely used in Colombo, Sri Lanka, for over two decades. “With the amount of chicken consumed by Bengalureans, the waste will yield over 110 tonnes of protein powder daily,” he estimates. However, there are concerns about giving processed animal waste as feed to herbivorous cattle. The practice is suspected to have triggered the mad cow disease in the U.K. Dr. Srinivas said that processed animal waste is only used in food for dogs, cats and fish.

THE HINDU