Waste to Wealth
BEST WASTE WEALTH CREATOR
When Mainak Chakraborty and two friends in Bengaluru decided to start a new tech venture in 2011, they did not have to think much. They were well aware of the garbage problem in the city—approximately 3,500 tonnes of waste generated every day—and the poor disposal system.
“Unlike others in Bengaluru, we did not want to tread the ecommerce path. We wanted to make a meaningful impact on society and chose to address the garbage issue,” says Chakraborty, CEO of GPS Renewables. The trio realised that tackling the garbage problem at the source was one solution—hotels, educational campuses and IT parks are the bulk generators of organic waste.
GPS Renewables spent the first three years in R&D, perfecting the technology to convert organic waste into energy. The company’s customised Biourja systems are installed at 70 locations in India and Bangladesh today. The GPS Biourja system converts biowaste into bioCNG, which can be used for cooking and thermal applications. With a gas engine, it can even be used to generate power. The residual fluids can be used as fertiliser.
GPS has an impressive clientele list now—Akshaya Patra Foundation, ITC Hotels, Taj Hotels, Infosys, Intel, Bosch, IIMBangalore, Manipal University, BITS Pilani and TVS, to name a few. The company remotely monitors its installations roundtheclock from its Bengaluru office.
The Biourja suite consists of an input system with shredders, a gas storage system and a sludge dewatering system. GPS provides gas piping to the kitchen along with customised burners.
Investment on a Biourja system is in the range of Rs 2050 lakh, depending on the clients’ needs. “Our clients can recover the investment in twoandahalf years. If our system is processing a tonne of waste per day, it is equivalent to saving 25,000 kg of LPG every year,” claims Chakraborty.
GPS Renewables broke even in its first year of operation and is targeting business worth Rs 20 crore this year.