Chitradurga’s New Initiative Turns Urban Wet Waste into Organic Compost for Farmers
The Chitradurga City Municipal Council (CCMC) has launched a city–farmer partnership to convert segregated urban wet waste into organic compost for agricultural use. The initiative, named Composting Partnership for Advancing Soil Sustainability (ComPASS), is being implemented in collaboration with the Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS) and supported by the SBI Foundation.
Over the next two years, ComPASS will work with 150 volunteer farmers across 15–20 villages in Chitradurga taluk. The project aims to process approximately 12,500 tonnes of segregated wet waste, producing nearly 3,000 tonnes of organic compost. This is expected to reduce chemical fertiliser use by around 300 tonnes, improve soil fertility, reduce biodegradable waste sent to landfills, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and strengthen the city’s wet waste management system.
Speaking at the launch, Reshma Hanagal, Project Director of the District Urban Development Cell in Chitradurga, said the project will reduce the municipality’s burden of processing wet waste while improving soil health, reducing pollution, and promoting sustainable agriculture. The project establishes a direct partnership between the municipality and farmers by transporting source-segregated biodegradable waste from the city to farms, where it is converted into compost through scientifically managed on-farm composting.
“The success of ComPASS depends on effective segregation of waste at source. Chitradurga City Municipal Council is committed to ensure efficient wet waste management and make this initiative a success,” said Laxmi S., Municipal Commissioner, CCMC.
Alongside compost production, IIHS will support the municipality through capacity building, community awareness campaigns, and behavioural change initiatives to improve waste segregation at source. R. Krishnan of IIHS said the initiative builds on the successful City–Farmer Partnership model previously implemented in Chikkaballapura and Doddaballapura, demonstrating how urban wet waste can become a valuable resource for agriculture through collaboration between municipalities and farming communities.
