In a pioneering initiative to put in place a fool proof-waste disposal plan to prevent bird/ animal strike incidents during aircraft operations, the Karipur Airport has launched a zero-waste initiative to make over 1,000 houses surrounding the airport waste free. Under the project, the airport authorities have provided over 1,000 houses with pipe compost units at a cost of Rs 10 lakh under its corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative. Two back-to-back incidents of bird and animal strikes in the Karipur Airport in December 2012 had raised concerns of aviation safety at the airport following which director general of civil aviation (DGCA) had asked the airport authorities to implement a fool-proof waste disposal plan and submit an action taken report. The national carrier Air India had suffered loss of around Rs 10 crore after a palm civet, which had strayed into the runway, got sucked into the flight's engine during take- off. Besides the environmental implications, the unscientific waste disposal in nearby areas has been attracting birds often posing bird strike threat during aircraft operations. Airport Director Peter K Abraham said that waste disposal at source project would cover the houses in the Nediyiruppu panchayat and would make the areas near the airport waste- free. "Unscientific waste disposal practices would attract birds and animals to the airport vicinity. We expect that the initiative would help in minimising the threats of bird/ animal incidents," he said. Also the environment management committee of the airport that met recently and attended by the district collector has drawn up a plan to curb the illegal operation of unauthorized slaughter houses in its vicinity. "We had conducted inspections at the slaughter houses nearby and found that some are unauthorized. The details of such slaughter houses have been provided to the authorities concerned for necessary action," he added. The presence of many open slaughter houses around the airport in violation of the Indian Aircraft Rules, lack of proper waste management facilities in the surrounding panchayats leading to unscientific disposal of waste were being cited by experts as factors responsible for the bird/animal strike incidents in the past. The Indian Aircraft Act prohibits ?the slaughter and flaying of animals and depositing rubbish, filth and other pollutant and obnoxious matter within a radius of 10 km from the aerodrome reference point'. The new community- level waste disposal at source initiative comes close on the heels of the airport putting in place a zero waste disposal mechanism inside the airport premises by tying up with Niravu Vengeri. The facility which started earlier this year has been processing around 500 kg of waste generated at the airport daily using a mix of ring compost, incineration, bio gas and segregation of plastic waste.