Sixteen years after clearing garbage bins from the city under a no-dustbin policy, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) will now set up over 2,000 metal dustbins, mainly in shopping zones, markets and slum pockets across the city.
The metal bins, each with a capacity of nearly 200 kg, will be mounted on the ground and will have a facility that will enable them to be tilted for the contents to be emptied into a collection vehicle. The BBMP wants to buy these bins from empanelled suppliers as part of Swachh Bharat Mission. It has sought an expression of interest and is in the process of finalising a supplier.
When asked whether the move will be undoing the city’s no-dustbin policy, Subodh Yadav, Special Commissioner, Solid Waste Management, BBMP, said it was only a partial rollback and it was essential to fix the gaps in the garbage disposal mechanism in the city.
“Prior to 2000, there were bins all across the city, on every street corner, including residential areas that did not have a door-to-door collection system. We are now reintroducing them only in commercial areas, markets and slums — where there is a high volume of floating population and where there have been gaps in garbage disposal mechanism after bins were removed,” he said.
Slum pockets in the city have remained a concern owing to non-optimal levels of waste collection and non-segregation, which the civic body wants to address through these bins. However, it is unclear as to how the civic body intends to implement segregation at these points.
Most of the bins will be concentrated in the east, west and south zones, while there will be fewer bins in the outer zones of the city. Each zonal commissioner has drawn up a list of locations where the proposed bins are to be put up.
‘It’s a big step back in time’
The proposal to reintroduce dustbins in the city is being strongly opposed by many who hold that the move will create black spots and be a major deterrent to segregation of waste at source. A pilot project, to install dry and wet waste bins across the city in 2014, was stalled for the same reasons.
The Expert Committee on Solid Waste Management (SWM) has not been kept in the loop on the issue. The committee has always opposed the reintroduction of dustbins. Committee members believe that that bins across the city will hit segregation of waste at source.
Kalpana Kar, member of the committee, said that while proposing to put up dry waste collection bins in shopping areas was acceptable, the introduction of 2,000 bins across markets and slum pockets would be too much to handle. “As soon as you put a bin somewhere, you are letting your guard down on segregation in the city. This will be a big step back in time,” she said. Ms. Kar, as a member of Bangalore Agenda Task Force (BATF), led the Swachh Bengaluru campaign that made the city go bin-less in 2000.
N.S. Ramakanth, another member of the committee, said such dustbins would severely affect the visual cleanliness in the city. “We were never consulted on this. This will only be a step backwards,” he said.
Twelve high-tech bins set up as pilot project
As part of a pilot project, a private firm, Zonta Infratech, has set up semi-underground twin-bins at 12 locations in the city. These semi-underground bins will have a capacity to hold around one tonne of waste each.
“The bins are equipped with sensors and Global System for Mobile communication (GSM) which will send out a message to those maintaining the bins when they have to be emptied,” said Ganga Maheshwari, project manager, Zonta Infratech, which has put up the bins on its own cost.
However, even these bins have drawn the ire of solid waste management (SWM) experts in the city. “These semi-underground bins can only be emptied using hydraulic suction technology, which is not available with the civic body. The bins, being set up without the necessary eco-system being built will only add to the never-ending garbage menace in the city,” said Kalpana Kar, member, Expert Committee on SWM, BBMP.
However, Ms. Maheshwari said the firm would maintain the bins for the first two months and later it would be up to the BBMP to either maintain the bins themselves or give out a contract to the firm. She added that the firm had put up 170 bins around Chennai and they have proven to be a huge success.
Subodh Yadav, Special Commissioner, Solid Waste Management, BBMP, said the bins were put up on a pilot basis and would be expanded to other locations only if they were a success.
Timeline
Pre-2000: A cement bin at almost every road corner. Un-segregated garbage was collected by pourakarmikas daily
2000: Door-to-door collection introduced. Over 4,000 cement bins were removed
2014: BBMP wanted to reintroduce dustbins in commercial and shopping areas. Proposal was dropped owing to severe opposition
2016: BBMP revives the project. Calls for expression of interest for putting up 2,000 bins across the city. A private firm has put up 12 semi-underground twin bins on a pilot basis
BBMP’s take
Bins will help bridge gaps in waste collection from markets and shopping areas that see a floating population
Collection of waste from slum pockets is inadequate
What SWM experts say
People will dump waste around bins
Will adversely hit segregation of waste at source
Details of the proposal
* Metal bin mounted on the ground
* Capacity: 200 kg
* Can be tilted to empty contents into a vehicle
* 2,000 bins in shopping areas, markets and slum pockets
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High-tech bins
* Twin bins for dry and wet waste
* Semi-underground
* Each bin will have one tonne capacity
* Sensors will send an alert when bin needs to be emptied
Locations
Vidhana Soudha
High Court
M.S. Building
Raj Bhavan
Cubbon Park
Austin Town
M.G. Road
Johnson Market
Magrath Road
Behind football stadium
