Bangalore garbage disposal limps sans incentives

Various possible incentive schemes could have been implemented by the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to ensure that garbage segregation at source and efficient disposal takes place. But none are in place except a mundane garbage cess rebate, which apparently no one is interested in.
Despite various foreign trips that corporators undertake on pretext of study tours, no lessons have come back with them on any model for a better and cleaner Bangalore.

What we are seeing today is the pathetic and lackadaisical attitude of not just the corporators and the BBMP officials, but largely from the citizens too.

In the absence of originality or ingenuity in putting in place an efficient garbage segregation and disposal system, experts have taken it upon themselves to put forth suggestions that could practically be put in place, BBMP-willing.

Bangalore Agenda Task Force (BATF) member and civic expert V Ravichander has suggested that BBMP as well as homes could provide incentives to domestic helps who can transfer the household garbage to nearby collection centres in a segregated form.

He says as garbage segregation at source is extremely crucial the responsibility for the same entirely rests with the citizens to ensure that it is done. Once that is done, the segregated garbage can be taken by the domestic helps or the maids or apartment’s house-keeping staff to the nearest BBMP collection centre where the segregated garbage can be handed over. In exchange, these people delivering the segregated garbage could be offered some incentive or the other. “This would also help them earn some extra money,” he says.

On shining example of garbage segregation and disposal is the one which has been put in place in Mexico City. There, homes sending the segregated garbage are given fresh vegetables in return. This makes sense as the wet garbage is sent for composting which comes in handy for the farmers surrounding the city who can use the compost as natural fertiliser, thus saving on higher costs they otherwise would have to pay for chemical fertilisers.

BBMP officials say one part of the scheme has been undertaken here — wet waste being offered to farmers. But the scheme is already staring into failure because of delay in lifting the wet waste from the city, causing a stench which the farmers to reject it.

CIVIC executive trustee, Kathyayini Chamaraj, said in Mexico city, the civic body also gave incentives to slum dwellers for taking up garbage segregation work. “That scheme cannot be implemented in Bangalore city. Here also the slum dwellers can be provided incentives; but for the affluent people, BBMP is giving rebate on garbage cess which it collects every year along with property tax,” she said.

“Instead of providing incentives for the public, the BBMP should provide incentives to the Ragpickers. The BBMP should have involved the ragpickers in collecting and segregation of garbage. This would have solved most of the problem. Apart from this, they should have taken up the ward wise segregation units”, she said and added that BBMP should levy fine for the public who does not take up segregation at source.

While the city has more than 12,000 ragpickers, BBMP failed to involve them in clearing the garbage. After the crisis, the BBMP realized the importance of the ragpickers and have decided to provide Rs 100 per day as incentive in segregating the garbage. The plastic which is being segregated will be given to plastic industries.