BENGALURU: It makes perfect sense to start segregating waste at home before it is collected. As all the processing units of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) that are capable of processing and handling segregated waste are now operational.
It will a few more weeks before the units can process the waste as per capacity.
However, the BBMP is facing the people’s wrath as it has set up these units at their villages.
Commissioner Kumar Naik told reporters that earlier they did not have the confidence. “Now we are more confident of disposing of and processing waste scientifically. This would not have happened this quickly if the High Court had not instructed it be done. In the past few years, we kept taking suggestions from the High Court, experts and the State Government and worked towards it. The processing units that are functional are the result of these suggestions. If the landfill sites issue had not arisen, we would not have started processing units in city. We are the first city to process more waste . We have set a model for others,” he said.
Naik also said that this was a transition period for the public, BBMP and garbage contractors. “Unlike before, we are not paying a tipping fee, which means we are not paying for the quantity of waste that is brought to the unit. But we will pay for the processed waste. It is Rs500 to Rs800 per tonne of processed waste. This also means that if they bring more segregated waste, they will be benefitted more. This also means, they will not transport segregated waste. If we see unsegregated waste in the trucks, it will be reloaded and sent back,” he added.
The BBMP has spent Rs400 crore for the six processing units. “The entire unit belongs to BBMP. Only processing and maintenance is done by an agency. They have tied up with some fertilizer companies and cement industries to send byproducts from wet and dry waste respectively,” he said.
On Tuesday, BBMP Commissioner Kumar Naik along with officials took media persons to various processing units including units at Kannahalli and Segehalli villages, both located on Magadi Road and Doddabidarekallu village near Rajarajeshwarinagara. These units started being constructed last year and for the past two to three months have been accepting waste.
How it Works COMPOSTING
■ Segregated wet waste is dumped in a covered shed.
■ A chemical to reduce odour and compress quantity of wet waste is sprayed on it. No additional water is used. It is then allowed to compost for four weeks
■ Once it is composted, it is passed through three levels of filters. The first filters out granules less than 32 mm. Usually these are fibre or dry waste. This filtered waste is passed through less than 16 mm and then 4 mm filters to get pure compost.
■ Leachate water is treated at the site itself. The concrete of 50 mm size that is laid, prevents the leachate from entering the ground
Waste-to-compost units
Kannahalli, Yeshwantpur hobli, Bengaluru North
Capacity: 500 tonnes (at present taking 270 tonnes)
Area: 24.13 acres
Waste sent from South and East zones
Maintained by: Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services Limited
Byproducts: Wet waste are composted to produce manure, dry waste sent to cement factories to produce fuel
Seegehalli, Yeshwantpur hobli, Bengaluru North
Capacity: 200 tonnes (At present taking 130 tones)
Area: 7 acres
Waste sent from South and East zones
Maintained by: Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services Limited
Byproducts: Wet waste are composted to produce manure, dry waste sent to cement factories to produce fuel
Doddabidarekallu,
Rajarajeshwarinagara
Capacity: 200 tonnes (at present getting 270 tones)
Area: 11 acres
Waste sent from Rajarajeshwarinagar, Dasarahalli and West zonesMaintained by: UPL Environmental Engineers LimitedByproducts: Wet waste are composted to produce manure, dry waste sent to cement factories to produce fuelDoddabidarekallu, RajarajeshwarinagaraCapacity: 200 tonnes (at present getting 270 tones)
Area: 11 acres
Waste sent from Rajarajeshwarinagar, Dasarahalli and West zonesMaintained by: UPL Environmental Engineers LimitedByproducts: Wet waste are composted to produce manure, dry waste sent to cement factories to produce fuel
Namma Mane Gobbara at Hopcoms
The BBMP is planning to produce ‘Namma Mane Gobbara’ manure and sell it at a reasonable rate to the Horticultural Producers’ Cooperative Marketing and Processing Society (Hopcoms) outlets.
Rajarajeshwarinagara zone zonal commissioner Veerabadrappa said that they are processing the waste at the Doddabidarekallu Unit. “We started processing waste scientifically from the first week of September. We have sent the samples to some of the laboratories endorsed by GKVK. The Commissioner is keen on making this manure available at Hopcoms,” he said.
Commissioner Naik added that this was a proposal. “If we produce manure from BBMP and sell it at Hopcoms and Lalbagh at a minimal rate, it will be useful to the public. It is like sending their waste composted back to their yard,” he said.
[We have provided CCTVs across the unit. We are constructing a landfill site for inert substances. We have 65 employees. We send manure to 7 fertiliser companies.
Leju Valson, Manager, Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services Limited