The Hindu              29.05.2013

Hotel waste disposal on BBMP’s menu

Civic authority, hotel owners signpact with private firm.

To ensure that the garbage generated by bulk generators, including hotels, marriage and community halls, malls and business parks, don’t burden landfills, the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and the Bruhat Bangalore Hotels’ Association (BBHA) on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding with NobleExchange Environment Solutions (NEX).

Hotels, including small eateries and darshinis, alone generate around 750 tonnes of waste every day. As per the MoU, the BBMP will provide NEX five acres of land in Kannahalli and Kudlu to set up waste processing plants.

“The plants are expected to be operational in a year. Hoteliers will pay 90 paise per kg of waste to NEX, which will provide zero odour and zero drip bins to the BBHA members,” said BBMP Commissioner Siddaiah.

BBMP, it is said, will levy a fine of Rs. 5,000 on hotels and eateries littering on footpaths. For the second offence, the fine will double and their trade licence will be cancelled after the third offence.

BBMP has also given 30 acres at Kudlu and Chikkanagamangala to the Karnataka Compost Development Corporation (KCDC) and will send 100 tonnes of wet waste to it from June 1. From August 1, it will send 300 tonnes of wet waste there.

Mr. Siddaiah said that dry waste collection centres (DWCC) would be operational by the month-end in 140 wards, and by June-end in others. As much as 50 per cent of the garbage packages were being managed by the new contractors. The tender process for the other packages is on. “However, BBMP’s Solid Waste Management committee has suggested recruiting 4,000 pourakarmikas and providing them [with proper] equipment. This way, the BBMP need not depend on the garbage contractors. [We] already employ 3,400 pourakarmikas,” he said.

Mr. Siddaiah said that Manipal Hospitals had been made the nodal association to monitor disposal of biomedical waste. “A survey is on to ascertain who are not disposing of it as per the prescribed methods. The BBMP will soon include household sanitary and medical waste and [designate] biomedical waste collection centres,” he said.