This document proposes a waste compactor solution for managing waste on Indian Railways trains. It discusses the challenges of current waste collection methods, describes a proposed compactor design that would compress waste in bins under carriages, and lists benefits such as improved cleanliness, waste segregation, and potential cost savings and income from recycling. Implementation could cost similar to bio-toilets but provide economic and environmental benefits estimated at 5 billion rupees annually from reduced waste and potential carbon credits.

1. Suryakant Goel, suryagoel@gmail.com
Waste Compactor – Indian Railways
Sustainable, Permanent and Progressive solution for waste
collection and segregation On-board trains in Indian Railways

2. 2
Agenda
Suryakant Goel, suryagoel@gmail.com
1. Rationale
2. Challenges
3. What is a Waste Compactor
4. Benefits
5. Economics

3. 33Suryakant Goel, suryagoel@gmail.com
Rationale
There is hardly a single one-meter stretch that is waste-free on or along side the train tracks, even in the most remote
countryside and almost all of it comes from the trains.
• The Indian Railways (IR) is the third largest rail network in the world with 66,000 route
kilometers. Running close to 21,000 passenger and freight trains daily, it catered to more
than 8 billion passengers in 2015-16, providing transportation services of 1147 billion
passenger-km (IR 2015a). The railways passengers’ base grew from 3.6 billion to 8.2 billion
in last four decades at an average rate of 4% per annum.
• While the Railways is one of the most economical and environment friendly modes of
transport, one of the key steps in taking the railways towards a sustainable transport
network is that of waste management.
• Solid waste management including solid waste and recyclable waste management onboard
the running trains is a major challenge for Indian railways.
• Although steps have been taken to manage sanitary (toilet solid waste) but not much has
been done successfully to manage waste generated by general public such as solid food
waste, metal beverage cans, plastic bottles, plastic cutlery, glass etc that ends up being in
waste bins onboard a train.
• These waste bins often are not managed and quickly start getting overflowing, leading to
waste being spread on train floors, walkways and ultimately it ends up being thrown outside
the trains.
• There is no mechanism as of today to successfully and effectively manage waste generated
onboard a running train.
Background & Context
65%
13%
22%
Waste Characterization 1
Recyclables Residual Waste Biodegradable Waste
27%
36%
6%
7%
12%
12%
Waste Characterization 2
Food Plastic Glass/Ceramic
Metals Paper/Cardboard Others
Waste management in IR are specific to two different situations –traction and non-
traction. While waste is generated across various IR operations, this presentation
focusses mainly on waste generated on moving trains. Inconsistent or more often, non-
existent data make it difficult to estimate how much waste is generated across the entire
spectrum. Variables could be types of train, coach class, long and short journey,
specific routes, time of the year, states etc. As such focus is not on the statistics but
on the solution

4. 44Suryakant Goel, suryagoel@gmail.com
Challenges
Although, the list of challenges, given the sheer size and ridership of IR, in managing waste generated on-board a running train are great, I
have tried to list some of the high level challenges below:
Challenge Area Description
 Collection
• All most all trains have 2 waste bin, one on each side of the coach and many short distance passenger trains do not even have that.
• The on-train bins, have a capacity of less than 8 liters. They quickly fill and overflow; and once it starts spilling onto the floor, pathways
etc the floor becomes a magnet for further waste.
• Collection of waste from filled up bins from every train and every coach is not practically possible
 Separation
• Since trains only have one kind of bin, waste separation such as solid waste and recyclable waste is impossible and this has been
validated in many studies that the best place of waste separation is at the source itself. As such all that valuable waste that could be
recycled ends up in landfills or become part of city and track waste.
 Disposal
• On journeys of more than one day, there is usually a stop at which the tiny dustbins are emptied. The trains are also swept of garbage at
the terminus, before they begin a new journey. This collected waste is dumped somewhere outside or at the end of the station, which
further adds to station waste and create more waste.
• Most of the waste generated in trains and pantry cars end up outside the train. This has been noticed many times and it is because of
both compulsion and habit as well. Passengers, pantry car people or onboard cleaning personals have to throw the waste outside a
running train because bins are all full and sometimes it is done for habitual reasons too.
 Recycle
• Since waste is not separated at source, most of it ends up in landfills and garbage. Some of it does end up being recycled, thanks to rag
pickers.
• There is a huge opportunity loss for IR by losing all that millions of tons of recyclable waste

5. 55Suryakant Goel, suryagoel@gmail.com
DesignDescription
What is a Waste Compactor
Waste compactor rough design and description
• There will be 2 bins in every compartment at each entry exit point, so
4 bins in total per bogie. One marked for waste and one marked for
recycle material.
• Both of the bins could be accommodated under the sink.
• The entry point and the top section of the Waste shaft can be the
same as it is today or cylindrical in shape.
• Passengers could dump the waste and recycle material separately in
each bin.
• The waste will keep collecting in the bin shaft and the underlying
cylinder.
• At a fixed time interval the piston in the cylinder will push and
compress the waste towards one end.
• The bin in IR is of 8 liters capacity approximately. Typical compaction
ratio for such compactor is 8 to1. Assuming the length of the
undercarriage horizontal cylinder to be 20 liters, the underlying
cylinder could hold 160 liters of waste in compressed state, which is
more than enough to hold all the waste from beginning to the end
station for any long distance route per bin.
• Even after the waste has been compressed and let us assume that it
has been compressed to a point where the entry shaft is connected to
the underlying cylinder, even then the piston can push it further and
any residual waste could still be collected in the upper waste shaft.
• At the end section or through the face of the undercarriage cylinder
there will be a provision to open and empty it.
• The cylinder can be emptied at the station where the train terminates
Compactor Ram / Piston
Waste disposal door
Handle
Compressed Waste
Waste Entry
Top bin in the Coach
Undercarriage Cylinder

6. 66Suryakant Goel, suryagoel@gmail.com
Benefits
There are hundreds of implicit and explicit benefits of properly managing the waste collection at source onboard a train itself. One or 2
pages of this presentation is insufficient to explore them all
At Source
En Route
Resources and
Handling
Environmental
Hygiene and
Health
Economical
Social benefits
• When people will notice the
bin capacity, it bring a
behavioural change in them
to use the bin
• Waste will be segregated at
Source itself. Food Waste
and Recyclable
• No bin spillage and hence
cleanliness across trains
• Will bring increased
awareness and
consciousness among
society
• Gradually the tracks and
area across tracks will get
cleaned and will remain as
such
• Economical benefits are
huge as this solution is a
value addition across
many chains
• IR will say millions in
resources allocated
• Source of hundreds of
millions from waste to
energy and recycling
efforts
• This is a one time solution
just like bio toilets
• Sanitation levels across
many verticals will improve
• Rodents and cockroach
issues could be contained
• Huge contribution towards reducing the waste and carbon
footprint across India thus conserving environment
• Passengers and railway
staff would not have to
throw garbage outside the
train and hence cleanliness
across the railway lines
• IR staff would not have to
collect waste at every
station
• Per train at major stations,
staff would not need to be
assigned for collecting
waste
• Plastic bags and other
material resources would
not have to be allocated
• Possibility to collect waste
only at the terminus, which
would lead to proper waste
management given the size
of waste collected
Waste Compactor

7. 77Suryakant Goel, suryagoel@gmail.com
Economics
Implementation costs and Opportunity losses (Income)
4 compactor bin per coach
1. There will be 2 bins on each side
of the coach. One for recycling
and one for other waste.
2. The under carriage horizontal
cylinders length can vary and be
extended as viable
2 compactor bin per coach
1. There will be 2 bins, both on only one side
of the coach. One for recycling and one
for other waste. There will be signs inside
the coach indicating where bins are.
2. The under carriage horizontal cylinders
length can vary and be extended as
viable
Option 1 Option 2
Implementation Costs
I am not an expert on this but I assume, Implementation costs will be no more than
the bio-toilets being installed in IR.
The solution can be designed and implemented in various ways and the most
economical and viable option can be chosen. I have discussed some of the options
below
POWER
In both or any other 3rd option, bin compactor can be
powered by electrical, pneumatic or mechanical means
using a combination of timer and or circuit breaker
Opportunity Losses (Income)
Again, I am not an expert on this but I assume, that monetary, socio-economic and
other economical benefits (explicit or implicit) are huge. By not implementing such a
solution there is an opportunity loss in value addition on many verticals.
Whatever I could understand based on the knowledge I have I am scribbling down
hereunder
As per the data available in public domain, and assuming 8 billion ridership
of IR and assuming only 70% of them produce waste (various plastics,
metals and bio-degradable waste), based on my rough estimates IR could
generate approximately 5 billion rupees annually
One of the biggest contributor for
Swachh Bharat
No need for cleanliness after the fact
Efficient Resource management
Waste footprint advantage and
Carbon Credits
Indirect economic advantages
through better health
Lessen landfill deposits & Many More …