Green Heap steps in amid lack of structured waste management system
Arenjungla Kichu
Mokokchung | 17 April
Mokokchung town generates an estimated 500 kilograms of vegetable waste daily from its main markets, including Kichutzar Complex, Old Town Hall and New Market. In the absence of a structured waste management system, much of this waste remains unprocessed.
Amid this gap, a local initiative is attempting to convert the town’s organic waste into a usable resource.
Green Heap Mokokchung, founded by Sungtiyala, collects vegetable waste from markets and converts it into organic manure through a composting process. What began as a personal effort has grown into a small enterprise, though not without challenges.
Sungtiyala, who started composting at home in 2017, said the idea gradually evolved into something larger. “I was doing my own thing, including composting at home. That’s when I felt like doing something impactful to the society,” she said.
The initiative began operations in 2021 and was officially registered as an enterprise in 2022. She has since signed a memorandum of understanding with the Deputy Commissioner and secured the old Mokokchung Municipal Council dumping site along Tuensang Road on a 10-year lease to establish a processing unit.
Each evening, a team of three workers collects vegetable waste from market areas using a mini van and transports it to the processing site in Ungma. The waste is shredded and placed into composting pits, where it is mixed with dry leaves and sawdust. It is then left to decompose for about six months before it is ready for use as manure.
The final product is packaged and sold locally at Rs 60 per kilogram. In the absence of a dedicated outlet, sales are mostly through home delivery, with customers finding the product largely through word of mouth and her Instagram page, @greenheap_mkg.
However, scaling the initiative has been difficult.
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Sungtiyala said getting the product scientifically tested was a challenge, as local facilities were either unavailable or unable to process the samples. After unsuccessful attempts within the State, she sent samples to Kolkata.
“The results came safe to use and nutrients high,” she said.
Despite positive feedback on the product itself, market response has remained limited.
“It is a bit costlier than other manure products. Therefore, my products keep taking up the shelves of the few shops I have kept my product on,” she said, hinting that the sales has been low.
The venture currently operates without profit.
“There is a lot of investment, but I have not seen profit yet,” she said.
The initiative highlights both the scale of organic waste generated in Mokokchung and the absence of a wider system to manage it, even as small efforts continue to address the issue at a local level.
Despite ongoing challenges, the initiative stands as a working response to a visible problem, a practical solution already in motion that may require greater institutional and community support.
