Construction / Establishment of 2 Nos Material Recovery Facilities (MRF) in Punjab

Introduction

A Material Recovery Facility (MRF) is an important component of a sustainable municipal waste management system. MRF can be a simple waste segregation arrangement to a sophisticated, mechanically operating setup, facilitating the segregation of different components of waste and converting waste into compost or waste-derived fuel (RDF). The MRF concept is being used worldwide successfully for the segregation of reusable and recyclable and the recovery of useful products from the waste. The use of MRF is common in developed countries, particularly in Scandinavian countries, where almost 100% of waste is absorbed back into society and no waste landfilling is required. The Govt. of Punjab has approved the development of two MRFs near Faisalabad and Gujranwala cities. The allocated number of the approved scheme under the financial year 2024/2025 is ADP-1188.

Salient Features

Development of MRFs is proposed near Gujranwala and Faisalabad cities for the processing of about 500 tons of municipal solid waste per day at each site. The project life is three years, divided into the following steps:

• 6 months of procurement of competent contractor;
• 6 months of finalizing a design under design, build and operation mode (DBO);
• 18 months of construction period; and
• During the last 6 months, the contractor will run MRFs, organize/deliver required training(s) to the concerned staff of the waste management company for capacity building and hand over the operation and maintenance of MRFs to the relevant waste management company.

The proposed MRFs will be developed next to the landfill sites, and residual waste will be dumped at the landfill. Key equipment and plant installed at each proposed MRF are:

• Conveyor belts;
• Trommel Screen;
• Magnetic Separator;
• Eddy Current Separator; and
• Bailing Machine.

Expected outcomes of the proposed MRFs are:

• Increase the recycling rate of waste to 10% of the total waste;
• Reduce the quantity of waste that needs to be dumped at the landfill site and subsequently increase the life of the landfill;
• Generate revenue from the sale of recoverable waste;
• Segregation of compostable waste for producing compost from the organic fraction of waste and therefore minimizing greenhouse gas emissions, and producing soil additives (compost) for improving the soil productivity. Approximately 200 tons of organic waste will be obtained at each MRF for treatment with the composting process; and
• Segregation of combustible waste for producing RDF and therefore minimizing waste quantity, which needs to be disposed of at a landfill site.