Solid waste management bylaws finalised

It will be tabled before BBMP council for approval; civic body had received nearly 40 objections

Workers segregating waste at Doddathogur village near Electronics City.

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has finalised the solid waste management (SWM) bylaws, which will be tabled before the civic council for approval.

The draft SWM bylaws that call for separate tenders for dry and wet waste collection were notified in August 2019, as per rule 15 of the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, following which public objections and suggestions were invited. According to senior civic officials, they received nearly 40 objections from various civil society organisations, non-government organisations, and residents’ welfare associations.

‘Increase penalties’

While most organisations, including Solid Waste Management Round Table (SWMRT) and CIVIC, largely supported the bylaws, they said that penalties for various offences were less and needed to be enhanced. “Many organisations felt that enforcement on the ground will be effective only if penalties are prohibitive,” sources said.

Some organisations had raised objections to the bulk waste generator classification. Under the new classification, anyone who generated more than 10 kg is said to be a bulk waste generator. Sandya Narayanan from SWMRT said they had pointed out to the inequity in the system that did not match the SWM Rules. While the BBMP collects waste from households at no charge, bulk generators have to pay for services. They urged the BBMP to align the definition of bulk waste generators to address the issue.

Most organisations, especially SWMRT, sought segregated collection of waste, as the BBMP had set up separate infrastructure for both wet and dry. They also urged the civic body to not go back on separate collection of segregated waste, as envisaged in the new garbage tenders.

While there is a dedicated budget for SWM, the user charge is minimal compared to the cost incurred. Organisations suggested that the BBMP rationalise the user charges or SWM cess, which is the fee imposed to provide waste collection, transportation, processing, and disposal. “We have taken into account the suggestions and objections received, based on which modifications have been made to the SWM bylaws. Once approved by BBMP council, the same will be sent to the Urban Development Department for final notification,” sources in the BBMP said.

Each State is expected to notify bylaws within a year of SWM Rules 2016.

However, the State government had empowered the BBMP to notify the bylaws as the challenges of the city were different from other urban centres in the State.