The city’s dry waste segregation centres, which would have taken care of 40 per cent of the total waste generated in Bengaluru, remain underutilised even as the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike is staring at a crisis after garbage dumping at Mandur comes at an end this month.
Lack of segregation of waste at source is affecting 171 dry waste collection centres (DWCC); their efficiency is reduced.
Nalini Shekar of Hasiru Dala, an NGO, which presently manages 34 of the 171 DWCCs, said that though the amount of dry waste being collected at these DWCCs is steadily increasing by the day, it still averages less than a few tonnes a month, which is pathetic compared to the generation of dry waste in the city.
At present, as garbage collection contractors are billed by the amount of garbage they collect, the incentive is for non-segregation, sabotaging the DWCCs, experts claim.
The problemPost segregation, wet waste is supposed to go to garbage processing units and dry waste to DWCCs. At present, most garbage processing units get un-segregated waste; dry waste is separated and wet waste processed to manure. These units today boast of a mountain of dry waste.
At the same time, DWCCs stink due to the presence of wet waste. Dry waste is separated manually from un-segregated waste at these centres.
Presently, none of the garbage contracts make segregation mandatory. Activists have long been calling for redrawing all garbage contracts making segregation mandatory and that the contractor should provide dry waste to the local DWCC alone.
It is also suggested that the collection of dry and wet waste be completely separated and rag pickers be given the contracts for dry waste collection.
