Waste-to-energy plants

KARNATAKA - BENGALURU - 06/11/2015 : Group of residents of Doddaballapur, who came to the city for a meeting with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, regarding the garbage being dumped by the Terra firma processing unit, celebrate after the meeting, at Krishna CM's official residence, in Bengaluru on November 06, 2015. Photo K Murali Kumar.

A few companies from Netherlands and Sweden have evinced interest in setting up waste-to-energy plants. Bengaluru Development Minister K.J. George said that a delegation from Netherlands would meet Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on November 9. “Netherlands has already signed a memorandum of understanding with the Union government and few States. They have conducted a feasibility study,” he said.

While the government would lease land for the pilot project, nearly 70 per cent of the project would be funded by the companies themselves, he added.

Accumulated waste

With the impasse between the BBMP and the protesting communities ending, BBMP Commissioner G. Kumar Naik said that it would take another two to three days to clear the accumulated waste. He said that extra men and machinery would be deployed on more shifts.

Segregation is the only way forward

While the BBMP has temporarily averted a major crisis, the only sure fire solution to the problem is segregation of waste at source. Bengaluru Development Minister K.J. George urged citizens to segregate waste at source. He also said that the stay on garbage tenders for 80 wards had been vacated. Under the new contracts, contractors are required to pick up segregated waste. The BBMP is working out modalities for collection of wet and dry waste. It has been proposed that wet waste be collected daily and dry waste on alternate days. “Such decisions will be brought before the BBMP council first,” he said.