Green Worms: Kerala's First 'Refuse Derived Fuel Unit' Launched in Malappuram

Elankur, a remote village at Manjeri in the Malappuram district of Kerala, has today, on September 25, witnessed the inauguration of  ‘first in the state’  innovative waste management and fuel extraction plant. A renowned name in the solid waste management and treatment sphere, Green Worms enterprise has been credited with the revolutionary fuel extraction unit, the Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF).

The RDF is the process of creating fuel from combustible materials extracted from waste, such as municipal solid waste, construction waste, and other domestic waste. The Green Worms unit, with a processing capacity of over 30,000 metric tons of waste, is currently treating around 70 percent of waste from Malappuram district collected through local self-government institutions, which cannot be recycled.

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Inaugurating the RDF unit in the Green Worms, Manjeri, Malappuram district collector V.R. Vinod, emphasised the need to address the growing concern of untreated waste that the “state, the country, and the world are facing.” He was referring to the increasing number of untreated waste bundles piling up. The collector also underlined the urgency to create more such facilities to tackle the waste management crises.

Malappuram district collector VR Vinod at the inauguration

Addressing the audience gathered for the inauguration, Trikkalangode Grama Panchayath president Manjusha UK expressed her delight over the launch of the RDF in the Panjayath and appreciated the work of the waste management company. The president also noted that the solid waste management plant has given jobs to many youths from the Panjayath.

Askar Amayur, Wandoor Block Panchayat president, praised the work of those behind the project, highlighting the commitment and willpower shown by Jabir Karat, the co-founder and CEO of the Green Worms, who, after his post-graduation from Delhi University, devoted his life to waste management by starting a one-person company with a small workforce, treating around 300 kg of waste per day.

A significant leap towards circular economy, Green Worms started its journey as a waste management enterprise in 2014, aiming to create a zero-waste world. Realising the stigma associated with waste management labourers, Jabir also aimed to make the job a dignified work by empowering employees with professionalism, fair wages, and safe working conditions.

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Speaking about the CEO’s determination, Askar underscored Jabir’s ability to go forward with “such a tiresome initiative,” braving the potential challenges, economic burdens, and residents’ ill-informed concerns regarding the waste treatment plant.

Noting the protest people in several places organised against the onset of such units, the president said they should visit such a facility and see what is happening there. “Then they will not oppose such plants,” he said, wishing the Green Worms operation could make the district a “clean Malappuram.”

Speaking to Timeline, Jabir Karat said that the plant operates with the utmost cleanliness and hygiene, complying with all pollution norms. Stating that the plant in Manjeri is the company’s sixth unit, Jabir said waste was immediately processed upon arrival without letting them pile up. “No one can smell even a bad odor here,” Jabir said, adding the uniqueness of Green Worms is that it creates a beautiful, neat, and clean working condition in its plant.

Jabir explains currently Green Worms has been managing around 14 percent of the waste collected by self-governing institutions across Kerala, adding that the company aims to process approximately 40 percent of the state waste. The company has units across Kerala, including a waste recycling unit in Kannur.

Green Worms’ Refuse Derived Fuel Unit facility in Manjeri

Regarding the Manjeri unit, Jabir notes the unit treats non-organic waste from around 33 Gram Panchayats and the wastes includes plastics, bags, textiles, etc., adding that Haritha Karma Sena and Kudumbashree workers are assigned to collect the solid waste from houses.

On the launch of the RDF facility, Jabir remarks the facility is a value added project, and with this, the Manjeri unit can now convert non-organic waste into alternative fuels for cement factories, replacing coal. The fuel made from the waste can be supplied to cement factories. “Around 100 metric tons of waste can be converted daily, constituting 80 percent of the waste in Malappuram district,” the CEO added.

“The project also gives jobs to approximately 110 youths,” says Jabir, boasting it is Kerala’s first project with such facilities and technology applied to the waste management services.

Hashir Najeeb, the cluster coordinator of the Green Worms, hopes to enhance fuel conversion through expanded laboratories, citing Japan’s successful implementation of similar waste-to-fuel models. Hashir says in Japan, cities are generating all the fuels needed by processing their waste. “Indian cities can also adopt the model,” Hashir wishes.