RAWALPINDI, Jan 8: A private company was on Saturday given the task to generate fuel from garbage after buying it daily from the city government, with the hopes that Rawalpindi will have a cleaner look.

The Waste Management of Pakistan (WMP) was declared successful bidder to install the first solid waste converter technology in Rawalpindi, generating refuse-derived fuel (RDF) from municipal waste such as plastics and biodegradable items.

A high-powered committee, chaired by Commissioner Rawalpindi Division Zahid Saeed, and comprising DCO Rawalpindi Imdadullah Bosal, representatives of Planning and Development (P&D), Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department, and Urban Unit, Punjab (UUP) announced the WMP as successful company for installing RDF plant. Two companies—Maple Leaf Ltd and WMP—had submitted proposals before the committee.

Rawalpindi’s district administration will sell garbage to the company at Rs50 per ton. The total generation of waste in Rawalpindi city is around 800 tons daily, which means the district administration would earn Rs40,000 a day once the company starts its operation.

Mohammad Usman, a consultant of UUP, told Dawn that the cost of RDF plant was Rs80 million and it can separate combustible wastes from non-combustible ones. “Importantly it can convert the entire garbage in the city into energy on daily basis with fertilisers as byproduct.”

Officials said the RDF plant would help reduce random disposal of garbage in the city besides helping the municipal authorities in timely lifting the trash from streets.

“It would be a major source of revenue for the local government on daily basis. The more the district government lifts garbage, the more would be its value. The company would daily pay money to the municipal agencies at transfer stations,” Usman said. He said the garbage could be converted into gas, coal, fertiliser, fuel and electricity on the pattern of plants installed in Iran and other European countries.

The idea to install the RDF plant in Rawalpindi came after Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif visited Iranian city Mashad previous year where waste was converted into energy.

“The RDF is not only a source of energy and revenue but also helps maintain cleanliness in the city. The municipal authorities would now try to lift maximum quantity of garbage and the streets will remain clean round the clock,” an official said.