Waste Generated During Eid-ul-Azha: Huge business potential yet to be unlocked

The waste generated during Eid-ul-Azha, including thrown-away body parts of sacrificial animals, has huge business potential but remains largely untapped due to absence of proper management and public awareness, experts say.

This Eid, sacrificial animals produced an estimated 19,002 tonnes of waste in Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) and around 7,800 tonnes in Dhaka North City Corporation, according to statistics from the two city corporations.

The waste was removed within the 48 hours and dumped into the Matuail and Amin Bazar landfills.

A systematic use of the waste could have turned them into a resource, experts add.

Cow dung and the half-digested fodder in cattle stomachs could be used for making fuel, fertiliser and fish feed; cattle bones could be used for manufacturing capsule caps; and cattle blood could be used in chicken and bird feed.

The horns of cattle are used for making x-ray and cinema films, combs and buttons, and their fat for producing soap.

Their genitals, which locals do not usually eat, are popular in many places like China, Thailand and Hong Kong and a huge amount of foreign currency could be earned by exporting them.

Mahbub Hasan, a former professor of Dhaka University and also an UNDP consultant, said it was possible to generate 10 megawatts of electricity from 600 tonnes of garbage through the “rapid organic conversion”.

Rapid organic conversion is simply speeding up the natural process of decomposing organic materials.

“We have already given a proposal to the DSCC and it may be finalised soon. After that, we will execute the project as a pilot project in Ward-1,” Mahbub said.

Secretary General of Bangladesh Meat Traders Association (BMTA) Robiul Islam said all body parts of cows or bulls and even their dung are quite useful.

He said the government should take an initiative to ensure their proper use.

According to the Bangladesh Export Promotion Bureau, the country earned Tk 1.7 crore by exporting different body parts, including genitals, of animals last year.

Again, a good number of the body parts are smuggled out of the country through the Myanmar border, claimed Robiul, adding that the export earnings could be much higher had there been proper management.

He also said the government should give some land to those involved in the business near the tannery industry in Savar's Hemayetpur for setting up processing factories there. It would encourage the business a lot, he said.

Raising public awareness through different campaigns was also necessary as people should know the value of animal waste, so that they could be collected in a systematic manner.

While visiting the Matuail landfill recently, this correspondent saw dozens of people of different ages collecting bones and animal fat from the garbage. The landfill was filled with piles of garbage.

“I have collected around 200kg of fat and 150kg of bones in the last three days and would sell a kg of fat for Tk 7 and bone for Tk 5,” said Nazma Begum, a resident of Dhalpur, who runs her family collecting plastic bottles.

She said around 500 families in her area do the same work to earn their livelihoods.

Some 10 to 15 thousand traders and one lakh workers are involved in the business, said Rabiul.

A large number of people collect bones from bins and dumping grounds and sell them to the traders in Hazaribagh, Demra, Board Bazar, Aricha, Khulna and many other parts of the country.

Mohammad Mozammel Hossain, manager of Riad Trading and Bone Mills at Matuail Landfill, said they collect bones from different areas of the country and sell them to a pharmaceutical company which makes capsule caps from them.

“We purchase a kg of raw bones for Tk 10-12 and dry ones for Tk 15-20 and sell them for Tk 24-25,” he said.

Bangladesh Meat Traders Association Secretary General Robiul said they earn Tk 6-8 by sending a gentile of cattle abroad.

Contacted, Khondoker Millatul Islam, additional chief waste management officer of the DSCC, said they have a plan to use the garbage of the city in a planned way and were working on the matter.