Tirupati: Beset for a long time by the challenge of managing substantial wet waste from its large-scale kitchen, ISKCON Tirupati has achieved a sustainable breakthrough with the establishment of a new biogas plant. This initiative has not only resolved a critical sanitation issue but has also led to a significant reduction in the organisation’s liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) expenses.

Entrusted by the State government with the responsibility of preparing free mid-day meals for approximately 30,000 school children across eight mandals—Tirupati Urban, Tirupati Rural, Chandragiri, Ramachandrapuram, Renigunta, Yerpedu, Vadamalapeta, and Puttur—ISKCON utilises nearly 2.5 tons of vegetables daily to cook for primary, upper primary, and high school students.

Until recently, vegetable waste generated by the kitchen was handed over to municipal health department. However, this approach presented several difficulties. The large volume of waste required storage until collection, and the health department itself faced immense pressure, managing significant wet waste from hotels, hostels, and hospitals as well. An alternative strategy of distributing the waste to stray cattle proved ineffective, leading to sanitation problems due to scattered vegetable remnants.

The solution emerged when a devotee proposed the installation of a biogas plant. Acting on this suggestion, ISKCON established a unit that now efficiently converts kitchen waste—including leftover food and vegetable peels—into clean energy.

According to Leela Parayan Das, Secretary and PRO of ISKCON Tirupati, the biogas plant has streamlined waste disposal processes and reduced LPG consumption by 12–15 cylinders each month. Furthermore, it supports the preparation of additional food and prasadam during festivals and special occasions at the ISKCON Lotus Temple, thereby alleviating the burden on the main kitchen.

The coordinator of the Annamrutha Foundation noted that the biogas plant, established a few years ago with a modest investment of Rs 4 lakh, has already recouped its cost. It operates for 12–14 hours daily on approximately 2 quintals of biodegradable waste, including vegetable scraps, dry leaves, and cow dung—all while producing zero emissions.

The success of ISKCON’s waste-to-energy model has garnered attention from local civic authorities. Tirupati Municipal Corporation Commissioner Narapareddy Mourya recently visited the plant and encouraged hotels, hostels, and institutions that generate substantial quantities of vegetable waste to adopt similar systems. She emphasized that such decentralized waste management practices could significantly alleviate the city’s overall waste burden.

Tirupati currently generates around 225 tons of waste daily, with over 150 tons being wet waste—largely due to its prominence as a major pilgrim center. Encouraging bulk waste generators to implement biogas solutions could represent a crucial step towards enhancing urban sanitation and sustainability.