Kochi: With the demand for scientific disposal of biomedical and sanitary waste gaining momentum in Kochi, Kerala Enviro Infrastructure Limited (KEIL) is gearing up to double its treatment capacity by installing a new incinerator dedicated exclusively to sanitary waste. The step comes as the city’s households generate far more diapers, sanitary napkins, and other biomedical refuse than the existing facilities can handle, a gap that became evident during last month’s temporary shutdown of KEIL’s incinerators for maintenance. 

“Initially, Kochi used to send just one or two tonnes of sanitary waste a day. Now it has crossed five tonnes, sometimes even more. Awareness is growing, and more people from Kochi corporation and surrounding municipalities are using the official disposal system instead of dumping or burning. We are unable to handle such large quantities with our current setup, so we are doubling capacity,” said KEIL CEO NK Pillai. 

KEIL was established by the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC) to manage hazardous waste, including biomedical waste. At present, KEIL can process 16 tonnes of biomedical and sanitary waste per day, of which up to 12 tonnes are taken up by waste from hospitals. This leaves only about 4 tonnes of capacity for sanitary waste collected from homes. 

The proposed new incinerator, with a capacity of 12 tonnes per day (approximately 500 kg per hour), will be dedicated exclusively to sanitary waste. Estimated to cost ₹10 crore, it will operate with primary and secondary chambers at 850°C and 1,100°C, respectively. 

KEIL also plans to switch from diesel to LNG fuel. Currently, burning wet sanitary waste requires approximately 800 litres of diesel per day, a costly and polluting practice. Pillai said that LNG will make the system cleaner and more cost-effective, and they are exploring to avail the fuel supply.

Kochi corporation’s parallel efforts
Meanwhile, the Kochi Corporation is constructing a biomedical waste treatment plant at Brahmapuram, which is expected to be operational by October. It will be able to process 3 tonnes of waste per day. “We want to reduce our dependence on KEIL. We may have to increase the capacity of the new plant as the quantity of waste collected per day is increasing,” said Health Standing Committee Chairman TK Ashraf. 

Collection agencies, such as Aakri App, the main operator handling domestic biomedical and sanitary waste across Kerala, have also flagged the need for increased processing capacity. “More and more people are now using our service to dispose of waste, but we cannot take it all due to limited treatment capacity. We are forced to restrict collections because we cannot store waste,” said Aakri co-founder and COO Balraj R. 

The demand is not limited to Kochi. The Clean Kerala Company has floated tenders for sanitary waste management projects in clusters, including Kollam, Alappuzha, Kannur, and Malappuram. These projects, to be developed on a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model under a Design, Build, Finance, Operate, and Transfer (DBFOT) framework, aim to expand treatment infrastructure across Kerala.