A private chicken waste processing unit at Baikampady here has come forward to collect, transport and process about 30 tonnes of chicken waste produced in the city daily.
It has approached Mangaluru City Corporation to hand over to it the waste for converting it into animal feed and also, oil used in soap manufacturing industry.
According to sources in the corporation, the council of the civic body will take a decision on handing over the waste to the unit, at its meeting later this month as such an arrangement can help save some funds being spent on solid waste management annually.
As per the seven-year solid waste management contractual agreement with Antony Waste Handling Cell Ltd., which is valid till January 2022, the latter will collect and transport the waste for the civic body now. The waste transported is deep buried in the Pachchanady landfill site.
Hence, the civic body cannot deny this waste to the same company as the payment to the company is being made on the basis of the quantity of solid waste collected by it. The corporation will have to hold talks with the company for diverting chicken waste to the unit at Baikampady and a solution will have to be worked out.
The council will discuss the two aspects before taking the decision.
Sources said that the corporation now spent between ₹ 3.5 crore and ₹ 4 crore annually for the collection, transportation and disposal of over 10,000 tonnes of chicken waste annually. If the unit at Baikampady is allowed to collect, transport and process the waste on its own, the civic body can reduce a part of its budget on solid waste management.
They said that two other major chicken retailers in the city with their own poultry farms have their own processing units for converting the waste into animal feed.