Dhaka South teams up with Korean firm to turn trash into energy and fertilizer

Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) is teaming up with Korean company B&F Company Limited to turn the city's waste into something useful – organic fertiliser, biogas, refuse-derived fuel (RDF), biofuel, and even raw materials for cement. 

The plant will be built at the Matuail landfill at the company's own cost, and the plan is to process all of DSCC's waste over the next 15 years, aiming for zero waste. The first five years will be a pilot run, after which the plant will go full-scale for the remaining ten years. At the end of the 15-year term, ownership of the plant will transfer to DSCC.

Air Commodore Md Mahabubur Rahman Talukder, Dhaka South's Chief Waste Officer, told The Business Standard, "We're not burning waste. The company will separate trash to make fertiliser, biogas, and RDF. Plastics will be converted into biofuel, and construction waste will go into cement. We're giving them four acres at the Matuail landfill for the plant."

The agreement also lays out revenue sharing: once the plant begins earning, 20% of net profits will go to DSCC and 80% to B&F. 

The company has committed to fund construction, machinery, and operations, with a gradual ramp-up from 300 metric tons of waste per day during the pilot phase to about 3,500 metric tons per day at full capacity.

Experts say it won't be easy

Ahmad Kamruzzaman, chairman of the Centre for Atmospheric Pollution Studies, said Bangladesh is far behind other countries in recycling and energy-from-waste projects. "Our waste is mixed, which makes processing a real challenge. If they manage to pull it off, it'll be a big achievement," he said.

He also cautioned that poorly planned plants can end up polluting more than helping. "We need to make sure it's environmentally safe from the start, and local experts should be involved. Dhaka South City could play a key role here," he added.

Dhaka South Administrator Md Mahmudul Hasan stressed that the project is fully compliant with environmental rules, unlike past failed waste-burning initiatives, and will bring in revenue for the city. "Even if one method doesn't work, we can try other approaches. The goal is to cut landfill waste and set up a greener way to manage our trash," he said.

The company expects to bring machinery from Korea within a few months and begin operations within a year. The first phase will be a pilot, testing processes and scaling gradually to handle the city's full daily waste production.