Organic waste is increasingly being converted into clean fuel, electricity and bio-manure across Indian cities under the Swachh Bharat Mission. Projects in Gandhinagar, Prayagraj, Gwalior and Hyderabad demonstrate how scientific waste management can turn discarded material into useful resources.
At an educational complex near Adalaj in Gandhinagar, two biogas plants with a combined capacity of 90 cubic metres per day process cow dung, kitchen waste and agricultural residue.
The plants use waste from 222 cows and generate enough biogas to meet the campus’s cooking requirements, eliminating the need for around 30 LPG cylinders every month.
A bio-CNG facility in Prayagraj processes 343 tonnes of organic waste daily, including wet waste, paddy straw, cattle dung and poultry litter.
It produces around 21 tonnes of bio-CNG and approximately 28 tonnes of compost every day. The fuel is currently used for city transport, while the compost is supplied to local farmers.
The facility is also expected to provide clean energy access to around 45,000 households through piped gas and reduce carbon emissions by approximately 57,000 tonnes annually.
At Adarsh Gaushala in Gwalior, a 100-tonnes-per-day Compressed Bio-Gas plant converts cattle dung into fuel and bio-manure.
The facility processes around 100 tonnes of dung daily to produce two tonnes of compressed biogas, along with 10-15 tonnes of dry bio-manure. It can also process vegetable and fruit waste from markets and households.
At Bowenpally Vegetable Market, around 10 tonnes of vegetable and fruit waste are collected each day and processed at an on-site biogas plant.
The facility generates 400-500 units of electricity and 30 kg of biofuel daily. Electricity powers market facilities, while biofuel is supplied to the commercial kitchen. The plant also produces liquid bio-manure for farmers.
The project has also helped reduce the market’s monthly electricity bill by roughly half. Five additional biogas plants have subsequently been funded at other Hyderabad markets.
These projects demonstrate a shift from simply collecting and disposing of waste toward resource recovery, renewable energy generation and productive use of by-products.
Organic materials such as cow dung, kitchen waste, crop residue and discarded vegetables can be converted into fuel, electricity and manure, supporting cleaner and more resource-efficient urban areas.
