IIMC Students Visit to MRF and FSTP Municipality
Resham khan | Sep 26, 2025, 22:17 IST
Students of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), Dhenkanal, went on an exposure visit on Friday to the Material Recovery Facility (MRF) and the Faecal Sludge Treatment Plant (FSTP) of the Dhenkanal Municipality. The visit was organised under the theme “Swacchotsav”,combining ”Swachhata” (cleanliness) and “Utsav” (festival), aiming to make cleanliness feel like a celebration.
Dhenkanal, 26 Sep: Students of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), Dhenkanal, went on an exposure visit on Friday to the Material Recovery Facility (MRF) and the Faecal Sludge Treatment Plant (FSTP) of the Dhenkanal Municipality.
The visit was organised under the theme “Swacchotsav”,combining ”Swachhata” (cleanliness) and “Utsav” (festival), aiming to make cleanliness feel like a celebration.
Shashmita Ojha, Sanitation expert at MRF explained the two segments of the centre- Dry waste management and wet waste management. Dry waste includes glass, paper, and plastic. Its primary function is to segregate plastic from the rest of the waste. Glass and paper waste are sold to bulk buyers or affiliated cement factories to generate revenue, while plastics are sent to factories for oil production.
Whereas at FSTP, Municipality’s Technical researcher Chandrakanti Swain explained the Treatment process of the centre- from Mechanical emptying and transportation, screening chamber, stabilisation reactor, sludge drying bed, sludge pasteurisation unit, sludge storage room, anaerobic baffled reactor and aerobic filter, to plant graver filter, sand and carbon filter and finally final collection tank.
MRF deals with wet waste by converting it into compost for commercial sale. Each segment has 5–6 workers. The government has also employed transgender persons at this centre, with an average salary of ₹13,000–14,000 per month for fixed working hours from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The workers are given safety kits to protect them from disease as they handle waste. The employees also said that every person should throw dry and wet waste separately in the bin for the workers' ease.
FSTP works under the Nirmal project.
Their tasks include cleaning the screen chambers, operating valves, and regularly desludging the stabilisation tank and stabilisation reactor, etc.
The visit aimed to educate students about waste management, its recycling process, and how it can be used as a source of revenue.
The visit was organised under the theme “Swacchotsav”,combining ”Swachhata” (cleanliness) and “Utsav” (festival), aiming to make cleanliness feel like a celebration.
Shashmita Ojha, Sanitation expert at MRF explained the two segments of the centre- Dry waste management and wet waste management. Dry waste includes glass, paper, and plastic. Its primary function is to segregate plastic from the rest of the waste. Glass and paper waste are sold to bulk buyers or affiliated cement factories to generate revenue, while plastics are sent to factories for oil production.
Whereas at FSTP, Municipality’s Technical researcher Chandrakanti Swain explained the Treatment process of the centre- from Mechanical emptying and transportation, screening chamber, stabilisation reactor, sludge drying bed, sludge pasteurisation unit, sludge storage room, anaerobic baffled reactor and aerobic filter, to plant graver filter, sand and carbon filter and finally final collection tank.
MRF deals with wet waste by converting it into compost for commercial sale. Each segment has 5–6 workers. The government has also employed transgender persons at this centre, with an average salary of ₹13,000–14,000 per month for fixed working hours from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The workers are given safety kits to protect them from disease as they handle waste. The employees also said that every person should throw dry and wet waste separately in the bin for the workers' ease.
FSTP works under the Nirmal project.
Their tasks include cleaning the screen chambers, operating valves, and regularly desludging the stabilisation tank and stabilisation reactor, etc.
The visit aimed to educate students about waste management, its recycling process, and how it can be used as a source of revenue.