Due to the insufficient disposal of Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) from the solid waste management and recycling plant in Sheeshambada, the authorities are considering the construction of waste-to-energy plant nearby.

The waste management plant produces about 100 tonnes of RDF in a day but considerable quantity of of RDF still remains in the waste management plant of Sheeshambada in spite of its regular disposal.

The project  manager of Sheeshambada waste management and recycling plant MA Saify said that in view of this, the Ramky Company is considering the option of constructing a waste-to-energy plant near the Sheeshambada plant or close to the city so that RDF can be disposed of easily. According to Saify, “RDF is being regularly disposed by us but due to the lack of cement factories and waste-to-energy plant in Dehradun or elsewhere in the state, the RDF produced in the plant is not disposed completely. This is the reason why the company is considering to set up a waste-to-energy plant nearby so that full disposal of RDF can be done within the city.”

Saify also talked about the production of RDF and compost in the plant. According to him, compost and RDF are being produced from the garbage which is collected by Municipal Corporation of Dehradun (MCD) from the city and dumped in the plant at Sheeshambada. After the garbage is unloaded in the plant, it is thoroughly segregated so that the materials for making RDF and compost can be set apart. Talking about the disposal of compost and RDF, Saify said that around 20 tonnes compost is generated in a day which is supplied to the enterprises like Krishak Bharati Cooperative Limited (KRIBHCO) and to the local farmers as per the requirement so that they can use the organic manure for agriculture whereas RDF is supplied to cement plants and waste-to-energy plant as per the demand.

Recently, the protesting locals of Sheeshambada alleged that Ramky Company had dumped heaps of manure and garbage into a trench inside the waste management plant which will have a detrimental effect on the groundwater in the area. However, the project manager has refuted these allegations.