Segregation levels seem to have improved over the past month based on the quantum of waste that processing plants on the outskirts of the city have been receiving.
On January 5, for instance, more than 1,250 tonnes of segregated wet waste was sent to five waste processing plants, including one private plant. This is double the amount when compared to barely a few months ago, when the quantum of waste sent to the processing plants was around 600 tonnes a day.
That apart, nearly 14 tonnes of wet waste have been processed in the seven biomethanisation plants that have recently begun operating again.
Data from the BBMP shows that of the four processing plants, the 150-tonne capacity plant at Doddabidarakallu receives around 180 tonnes of waste per day. The Kannahalli plant that has an installed capacity of 350 tonnes is receiving almost 300 tonnes. The Chikkanagamangala plant, which has an installed capacity of 300 tonnes per day, receives around 230 tonnes while Karnataka Compost Development Corporation (KCDC) is operating at 41% of its capacity.
Three processing plants – Lingadheeranahalli, Seegehalli and Subbarayanapalya – continue to remain shut.
BBMP Special Commissioner (Solid Waste Management) D. Randeep attributed the increase in segregation levels to the new tenders that are in place in around 50 wards in the city. The new tenders mandate separate collection and transportation of different streams of waste.
Despite the increase in segregation levels, the BBMP continues to depend on landfills for mixed waste. Nearly 2,200 tonnes of mixed waste from the city, excluding 60-odd tonnes sent to MSGP mixed waste plant, is sent to the Mittaganahalli landfill, data shows.
Meanwhile, efforts are being made to revive the remaining six biomethanisation plants in the city.
According to BBMP Joint Commissioner (SWM) Sarfaraz Khan, seven biomethanisation plants are already operational. They have a total processing capacity of 65 tonnes per day, but are operating at 21% of their capacity. The remaining six plants need some repairs due to not being in use all these years. Mr. Khan said the biomethanisation plant at K.R. Market needs a complete overhaul.
“We are targeting the commissioning of all the six biomethanisation plants over the next two months,” he said.
