From Shell to Soil: how urban India Is turning coconut waste into green wealth
New Delhi, Jan 1: Once viewed as a stubborn by-product of urban consumption, waste has steadily transformed into an economic and environmental asset under the Swachh Bharat Mission–Urban (SBM-U). Guided by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) across the country are reimagining coconut waste, especially abundant in coastal and pilgrimage cities, as a driver of livelihoods, circular economy practices, and cleaner cities. Highlighting this shift, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs noted that “under SBM-U 2.0, waste is no longer a burden on cities but a valuable resource. Coconut waste, once clogging drains and landfills, is now being recycled into coir, cocopeat, compost and even bio-CNG, generating jobs while protecting the environment.” Tourism hubs and coastal cities, where tender coconut consumption is high, once struggled with mountains of discarded husks. Today, that challenge has been flipped into opportunity.
Coconut waste, accounting for 3–5% of urban wet waste nationally and up to 6–8% in coastal cities, is being segregated and processed into high-value products such as organic manure, soil substitutes, ropes and mats.
Religious centres have emerged as key change-makers. Cities like Puri in Odisha, Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh and Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh have set up dedicated Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) to process temple-generated coconut waste, ensuring that sacred offerings do not end up polluting urban spaces. MoHUA has underlined that government support is central to this transformation. “Through SBM-U 2.0, Central Financial Assistance of 25–50% is being provided to ULBs and entrepreneurs to establish waste-processing infrastructure, while schemes such as the Coir Udyami Yojana and GOBARdhan are strengthening the waste-to-wealth ecosystem,” the Ministry said.
Across the country, successful models are already delivering results. In Bhubaneswar, a MoHUA-supported initiative is converting temple coconut waste into coir fibre, ropes and cocopeat compost, generating monthly revenues of ₹7–9 lakh while providing dignified livelihoods to SHG members and Safaimitras. In Kerala’s Kunnamkulam, a Green De-Fibering Unit produces odour-free compost and pays farmers for husks that were once discarded. Chennai’s public–private partnership units have processed over 1.15 lakh metric tonnes of coconut waste into coir and compost, while Indore’s integrated model converts 20 tonnes per day into cocopeat, coir and energy through a bio-CNG plant. Patna, meanwhile, has demonstrated a zero-cost model, processing 10 tonnes per day into coir, cocopeat and organic compost, diverting waste entirely from landfills.
From temple towns to tech hubs, MoHUA says India’s coconut waste journey under SBM-U shows how policy, people and innovation can work together. What was once seen as mere “green waste” is now powering incomes, exports, and sustainability, proving that even a discarded shell can fuel India’s green growth story.
