Mira Bhayandar: MBMC to use eco-friendly briquettes for cremations under 'Go Green Initiative'

Considering the sentiments and traditions where rituals like funeral pyre are needed, the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) has rolled out a plan to replace wood logs with eco-friendly briquettes (blocks/bricks) made out of horticulture and tree waste for cremations in the twin-city.

Apart from offering options of traditional wood, liquefied petroleum Gas (LPG) gas-fuelled and electrically operated pyres, the MBMC will now add another option of providing eco-friendly bricks for cremations.

The manufacturing apparatus which is being assembled at Ghodbunder village in Kashimira is in its advanced stages of completion and will start delivering the bricks early next month. Horticulture waste including branches and dead and dangerous trees removed and collected by MBMC’s tree authority during the periodical trimming and pruning drives in gardens and roadsides will be the primary ingredients to manufacture the bricks.

The process involves proper segregation of horticulture and tree waste which will be crushed to powder and finally compressed under high pressure to churn out the eco-friendly cylindrical bricks.

The cost of the bricketing project being commissioned by a Pune-based company is pegged at around Rs. 60 lakh and has a capacity to churn nearly five tonnes of waste into bricks per day.

"The affordable and sustainable project will not only save wood but also significantly minimise air pollution levels. This is a part of our 'Go Green, Go Clean' campaign to become environment-friendly in every way," said MBMC chief Dilip Dhole.

For traditionally cremating a body, nearly 300 to 350 kg of wood is required for an open pyre, but the compressed and uniformly sized eco-friendly bricks are expected to reduce consumption by more than 35 per cent.

The civic administration has also planned to install more LPG and Piped Natural Gas (PNG) fuelled pyres fitted with smoke-nuisance abatement systems to reduce the emission of toxic gases. Presently, there are 14 crematoriums across the twin city which are run and maintained by the civic administration.