If everything goes according to plan, in next one year, 750 tons of
waste generated by hotels and restaurants in Bangalore every day, will
not be sent to landfills. The BBMP in association with Bruhat Bangalore
Hotel Association (BBHA) and Nobel Exchange Environment Solutions (NEX)
has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on waste management on
Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters, BBMP Commissioner Siddaiah said
when BBMP conducted ‘Wake up, Clean Up’, a week-long programme on solid
waste management in January 2013, bulk generators like hotels,
hospitals, malls, community halls, IT parks and industries, which
together generate 1,500 tons of waste every day, had committed to manage
garbage disposal themselves. In this regard, hoteliers have come
forward to manage waste generated by them.

Siddaiah also said that
with this, it will be NEX’s responsibility of collecting waste from
hotels and disposing the same. “BBMP is only giving 5 acres each at
Kannahalli and Kudlu to set up processing units. With this, the burden
on landfills will be reduced and the money spent by BBMP on
transportation can also be saved. However, it will take one year for NEX
to start processing waste,” he said.

Hoteliers will be paying 90
paise per kg of waste to NEX. The commissioner said that it is mandatory
for all bulk generators to become a member of the association and
garbage disposal should be done only through these associations.

Disposal of Bio-Medical Waste

The
BBMP has made Manipal Hospital as nodal agency for disposal of
bio-medical waste. Siddaiah said that at present, there are two
companies in Bangalore which are disposing bio-medical waste generated
from hospitals and nursing homes. But there is a complaint that not all
medical units are sending waste to these companies.

“We are
conducting a survey to get a clear picture on the number of hospitals
and clinics in Bangalore. We are also planning to include household
sanitary waste. We will soon identify the number of bio-medical
collection centres and their location. Once this is streamlined, we can
avoid mixing bio-medical waste with other waste,” he said.

Compost from Wet Waste

BBMP
has given 30 acres of land to Karnataka Compost Development Corporation
(KCDC) at Kudlu and Chikkanagamangala villages. “We are sending 100
tons of wet waste to KCDC from June 1 and another 300 tons of wet waste
from August 1. They will produce manure through bio-composting,” he
said, adding that BBMP has already given `4.5 crore financial assistance
to KCDC to set up the units.

Dry Waste Centres

Of the 198
wards, Dry Waste Collection Centre (DWCC) at 140 wards will be
functional by this month end and remaining 58 wards will be ready by
next month end.

BBMP to Recruit 4,000 Civic Workers

Siddaiah
said at present, 50 per cent of packages are operated by new garbage
contractors. There is a need to call for tenders for remaining packages
and the process is going on. “BBMP waste management committee has
recommended to consider in-house garbage management system. We have
3,400 BBMP pourakarmikas and State Government has already approved to
recruit another 4,000 pourakarmikas. If we purchase garbage trucks and
equipments, then there will be no need for us to depend on garbage
contractors,” he said.

`5,000 Penalty for Littering

To put
an end to littering that is common near hotels, especially darshinis,
and to bring in some discipline, the BBMP is contemplating penalising
the offenders. This is said to be one of the recommendations by BBMP
Solid Waste Management committee. “If we see littering by them (hotels)
on footpaths, a penalty of `5,000 will be imposed for the first time and
`10,000 for the second time. If they repeat the offence for the third
time, BBMP will cancel their trade licence,” Siddaiah said. Speaking on
the proposed building policy, the commissioner said debris is now being
dumped in public places. BBMP has notified seven places. “If debris is
dumped other elsewhere, BBMP shall levy penalty and seize the vehicle,”
he said.