The compost plant set up in the city by the Sylhet Partnership is a success story, holding hopes for a clean city, free of dirt and garbage.

The city corporation has however extended a helping hand to the organisation whose 10-member Board of Directors include the Registrar of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Acting Editor of a local Daily, president of Sylhet Chamber, NGO representatives and the Mayor of Sylhet City Corporation.

The pilot plant set up on a rented plot at Shamimabad is running well, producing 400 to 500 kgs of compost fertiliser from waste collected from houses and business establishments, its Chief Executive Officer Uttam Kumar Shaha told this correspondent.

Though set up with as a non-profit organisation, it hopes to earn profit, he said.

The compost produced is sold at Tk 5 per kg and is in good demand because it regenerates soil fertility, destroyed by use of chemical fertiliser, he said.

"We would be able to earn Tk 3,000 to 4,000 by selling a ton of compost while the city corporation is now spending Tk 2800 only to collect the waste", he said.

The project is yet to reach break-even point. But the existing staff would be able to manage things even if the present operational arrangement is extended four times. This would definitely make the plant profitable, other Partnership officials hoped.

Now, wastes are collected from 2700 households in Wards 1 and 2 and from 2000 business establishments from Airport to Circuit House areas by small area-based voluntary organisations through 16 vans and brought to the plant.

The beneficiary house owners pay Tk 20 to Tk 30 for the service.

Waste collection and disposal is the number one problem of the city of 26.5 square kilometers with a population of about six lakh.

According to SCC sources, every day 180 to 200 metric tons of waste are generated in the city. The SCC collects only 60 to 70 tonnes while the rest ultimately clogs outlets creating serious pollution and environmental problem.

The collected waste is now being dumped in SCC's dumping ground at Lalmatia, 7 kilometres off the city, amid protest by local people.

The Partnership has also formed a networking group comprising the Department of Agriculture, On Farm Research Division (OFRD), Soil Resources Development Institute (SRDI) and Environmental Engineering Department of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology.

The quality of compost has been analysed at the SRDI laboratory in Dhaka.

The report says the compost produced has good NPK value. It has one per cent Nitrogen (N) against 1.1 percent in those available in the international market, 0.5 per cent Phosphorus (P) against 0.4 and 0.5 per cent Potassium (K).

The compost will regenerate soil fertility, lost due to excessive use of chemical fertilizer, the report said.

The pilot project was started last year with assistance from the British High Commission, European Commission's Asia-Urbs programme and Denmark's Horsen Municipality.

It is the outcome of a two-year work that began in 2001.

Partnership's major expenditure is for the salary of its 24 permanent labourers and other staff. It also pays Tk 7500 per month as rent for the plant site, Uttam said.

"We can expand the project in five more wards with a small funding to develop a sustainable waste management system", he added.

SCC Mayor Badar Uddin Ahmed Kamran is also hopeful of a big success from the pilot project.