Madaripur Makes Manure from Municipal Waste
Organic fertilizer produced through waste processing is set to become available in Madaripur’s Shibchar upazila by December, a move expected to boost local agricultural production by offering farmers low-cost, eco-friendly manure.
To this end, a waste management unit has been established on 2.68 acres of land in the Charshamyail and Shyamyail mouzas under Shibchar Municipality. Construction of the facility began in 2023 at a cost of around Tk 120 million, implemented by a contracting firm named Turn.
According to sources, construction work is nearly complete and the project is now awaiting inauguration. The Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE) said the unit is expected to be fully operational by December 2026, as part of efforts to build a modern Shibchar municipality.
Shamima Nasrin, an engineer of the DPHE in Shibchar, Madaripur, said the project would transform the municipality. “There will be no garbage on the roads. Household waste will be collected and brought to this facility, where it will be processed into organic fertilizer. Farmers will be able to buy this fertilizer at a lower cost and use it on their land,” she said. She added that the project would also create employment opportunities for the unemployed, significantly improving the overall standard of living in the area.
Project sources said household waste collected daily from across Shibchar Municipality will be processed at the unit to produce organic fertilizer. Marginal farmers hope that using this low-cost fertilizer will increase crop yields, saving them millions of taka every year. Locals also believe the project will generate jobs once operations begin. In addition, the project includes provisions for supplying safe drinking water.
DPHE officials noted that the initiative would play a major role in preventing air pollution and building an environmentally friendly municipal town. Representatives of the contracting firm said the company would produce organic fertilizer using its own funding for the first two years, after which production would be taken over by the government. The facility is the first integrated waste management unit in the district.
Farmer Sohbar Matbar, who lives near the site, said the project has raised new hope. “An organic fertilizer factory has been built next to our homes. We’ll be able to buy fertilizer from here instead of purchasing expensive ones from the market. This will improve our crop production,” he said.
Local resident Wahidur Rahman said unemployed youths like him would benefit from the project. “If this modern waste disposal project starts operating, many young people will get jobs. The production of organic fertilizer and supply of safe drinking water will benefit the entire area,” he added.
Turn’s representative, Milon Mia, said most of the work has already been completed and only the handover process remains. “For the next two years, our company will collect waste and produce organic fertilizer. After that, the DPHE will continue production with its own workforce,” he said.
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