Godrej Properties joins Chikkaballapur City Municipal Council & IIHS for a new project in Karnataka

India's leading real estate developer, Godrej Properties Limited has partnered with the Chikkaballapur City Municipal Council (CMC) and the Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS) for the City-Farmer Partnership project in Chikkaballapur, Karnataka to address the city's waste management challenges and to promote scientific management of solid waste.

Aiming to turn organic wet waste into valuable compost for farmers, about 759 tonnes of legacy waste was partially processed into compost and distributed to 109 farmers in 17 villages of Chikkaballapur.

This compost, derived from 1,000 cubic meters of waste, was provided free of charge to promote organic farming. Additionally, over 569 tonnes of segregated wet waste have been processed through a partnership with 81 farmers.  

A key focus of this initiative and Godrej Properties' target is to foster a symbiotic relationship between urban and rural communities. To enhance and educate the farmer communities and stakeholders on the benefits of sustainable waste management practices, IIHS conducted multiple training sessions for more than 100 farmers on converting municipal waste into organic compost.

Additionally, 45 CMC staff members were trained on key aspects of waste management. The training focused on the importance of segregated waste collection and transportation for the success of the city-farmer partnership project.

As part of the City-Farmer Partnership for Solid Waste Management (SWM), ward-level and feedback meetings have been held to promote waste segregation. Attendees included CMC officials, IIHS project team members, Anganwadi workers, volunteers, and around 50 residents per ward. To enhance awareness, six street plays and a roadshow covered key streets in Chikkaballapur, informing citizens and businesses about the benefits of waste separation.

Chief Design and Sustainability Officer, Godrej Properties Ltd, Mr. Rohit Mohan mentioned, "We recognize the substantial challenges posed for urban waste management, including growing volume of urban waste and improper waste segregation. Engaging communities through initiatives such as training farmers to convert municipal wet waste into organic compost is one of our important projects catering to our long-term environmental goals. This collaboration with Chikkaballapur farmers highlights our dedication to positively collaborate with multiple communities and contributing towards solid waste management across Urban local bodies. By enabling local communities to turn urban solid waste into valuable resources, we seek to drive enduring environmental improvements and support sustainable farming practices. As environmentally conscious developers, we remain committed to promoting sustainable waste management practices through public-private partnerships and engagement with local communities."

In FY24, Godrej Properties successfully diverted over 43,000 tonnes of waste from landfills, achieving Net Zero Waste to landfill status. The company has also been actively promoting sustainable waste management in both urban and rural communities, as well as across construction sites.