Solid tannery waste to be converted into organic fertilizer: Bscic

The solid waste from Savar leather industrial city will now be converted into organic bio-fertiliser through implementing a waste management project, said Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (Bscic) Chairman Md Mostaq Hasan.

He said, so far the solid waste of Savar tannery has been dumped on the banks of the Dhaleshwari river on the south side of the industrial city. The river and its surrounding environment have been polluted for a long time due to the dumping of solid waste under the open sky.

"Resources Regeneration BD Ltd will implement this waste management project in collaboration with Italian company 'ILSA', under a Bscic initiative," he said, adding that a treatment plant will be set up on Bscic's land in Gazipur within next year with the technical support of the Italian company.

Mostaq Hasan disclosed the information to reporters at the BSIC building in Tejgaon on Sunday, after a courtesy meeting with Italian Ambassador Enrico Nunziata.

The Bscic chairman said the Italian ambassador had expressed interest in transferring green technology to generate bio-fertiliser and electricity from solid waste of Bangladesh's leather industry.

He said, "The fertiliser produced through this treatment plant will be taken directly to Italy. The tannery industry in Savar does not have the space required to treat this waste, so we decided to do it in Gazipur. We are giving the responsibility to a European company and they will treat it in an environmentally friendly way."

Md Abdus Salam Xitu, general manager of Bangladeshi associate company Resources Regeneration BD Ltd, told The Business Standard, "The plant will be constructed on 12/13 acres of land in Gazipur for the time being. We will be able to start implementing the project as soon as the agreement is signed between the companies. The company has asked Bscic for land and waste for implementing the project."

He further said that the Italian company is engaged in the production of fertilisers from waste in several countries in Europe and America. This will be their first project in Asia.

The mission of Italian company ILSA is to satisfy the requirements arising from more and more specialised agriculture, by developing natural, sustainable and eco-friendly solutions.