BHUBANESWAR: Kalinga Stadium, the venue for Hockey World Cup here, has achieved another laurel by becoming a zero waste facility.Officials of Sports and Youth Services Department said waste generated is being treated appropriately for safe disposal and where ever possible it is being converted to usable forms.
Different forms of waste like food, cups and grease-stained food boxes have been turned into compost, which can be further used as fertilizers, the officials said. At the facility the waste is sorted and segregated manually into recyclable fractions and processed through the Organic Waste Converter, the sources added.
Another important aspect of the stadium’s effort towards zero waste and ecological sustainability is the use of products made out of recycled materials. The furniture for the stadium has been procured from IKEA, a company which is a pioneer in turning trash into treasure.
“The Hockey World Cup has drawn thousands of spectators to the stadium which will continue till December 16. As a result, a considerable amount of waste and other material generated might leave a large strain on the environment. To address the problem, the State Government has adopted such sustainable practices to reduce a negative impact on environment,” said Sports Secretary Vishal Kumar Dev.
Dev said building more ‘Zero Waste stadiums and arenas’ in the future is the priority of the State Government. “Every new or an upcoming stadium will adopt such environment friendly and sustainabile practices, while older venues will also be linked to such practices to reduce environmental stress and promote sustainability,” he said.
Sports Minister Chandra Sarathi Behera said Odisha strives to give the Nation its first environmental friendly World Cup and demonstrate the feasibility and confidence of doing so to encourage others to follow the same. “Greenery is the biggest USP of the Kalinga stadium, which in itself makes its campus worth a visit,” the Minister said adding, “Keeping in mind a green approach, the entire landscape around the hockey complex has been replenished with greenery.”