Trash to cash: industry opportunity assessment; solid waste management

Abstract

The above statement is a reminder to all of us who have not yet given waste management a serious thought. With increasing urbanization across the world, the quantity of waste generated is increasing at an enormous rate. However, increasing awareness about this issue has led to several organizations joining hands to make a difference and improve our way of living. During our internship on project "Trash to Cash", we had the opportunity to visit these facilities and also interact with people from these organizations and obtained a clearer understanding of a certain aspect of waste management. The following report begins with a write up on the existing scenario of municipal solid waste management in India followed by an introduction to the process of landfilling. The site visits were a real eye-opener in terms of the processes in use, the machinery currently being used, future requirements and how Caterpillar machines can fill existing gaps and cater to future needs. Based on the data, we have estimated the future of the waste management industry in India keeping in my mind the trends that are present. In a price sensitive market such as ours, significance of efficiency is often overlooked to cut costs. However in the future, there will be a need to cater to larger volumes of waste and make the best use of available land creating huge opportunities for Caterpillar products in the waste management industry. Creating customer awareness of our products and services through constant customer interaction and building a lasting relationship with them, if not immediately, will eventually provide extremely useful insights on the industry and its requirements. This will enable us to position ourselves better and identify existing loopholes that we can seal through our world- renowned technology and services. The report concludes with recommendations following opportunities mapped out for Caterpillar machines specific to municipal solid waste management (Landfill construction and process of landfilling)