Frequently asked questions
What Does "Solid Waste Management" really mean?
How is SWM managed in Bangalore?
Is there any law on how the SWM should be handled?
What are the gaps in the existing system of SWM?
What happens to household toxic waste?
What about Construction debris?
Is there a policy in place with respect to construction debris clearance?
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What Does "Solid Waste Management" really mean?
SWM is defined as the collection, segregation, storage, transportation, processing and disposal of solid waste.
Solid waste is of two types: Biodegradable (wet waste) and non-biodegradable (dry waste) waste. Wet waste can be processed in composting units. Dry waste can be either recyclable or non-recyclable. Recyclable waste can be sold in the market and non-recyclable waste has to be sent to a landfill.
How is SWM managed in Bangalore?
• Door-to-door collection of waste was initiated by the BMP for all the wards in the city. Containers have been provided for the purpose of garbage collection.
• The segregation of waste by the households is being encouraged. However, this is in a few wards
• The garbage collectors are allowed to extract from this waste, the items, which is of any value to them
• The waste once collected, whether segregated or not, is moved to the collection points by the Pournakarmikas, where it is then loaded on to trucks which transfer the waste to the municipal compost units, dumping yards and other private compost units.
Is there any law on how the SWM should be handled?
The Ministry of Environments and Forests, Government of India, has issued a notification on the 25th September 2000, stating rules and regulations to be followed by every municipal authority, in managing and handling solid wastes.
The different aspects of governing SWM are as follows:
Collection of Municipal Solid Waste
• Door-to-door collection of household waste on a regular, pre-informed timing scheduled.
• Transfer of neighbourhood waste to collection centres
• Collection of wastes from local slums, hotels, restaurants, office complexes and commercial areas
• Separation of bio-medical wastes and industrial wastes from municipal solid waste.
• Horticultural and construction or demolition wastes or debris should be separately collected and disposed off
Segregation of municipal solid wastes
In order to encourage citizens, the municipal authority should organize awareness programmes for segregation of wastes and shall promote recycling or reuse of segregated materials. The municipal authority should also undertake programmes to ensure citizen participation in waste segregation through quarterly community meetings.
Transportation of municipal solid wastes
Vehicles used for transportation of waste should be covered. Waste should not be visible to public, or exposed to the open environment. Scattering should be adequately prevented. The following criteria should be met:
• The bins or containers wherever placed should be cleaned before they start overflowing on a daily basis
• Transportation vehicles should be designed such that mixing of waste is avoided.
Disposal of municipal solid wastes
Land filling should be restricted to non-biodegradable and other inert waste that is not suitable either for recycling or for biological processing. Land filling of mixed waste should be avoided.
Other rules
• Stray animals should not be allowed to move around waste storage facilities
• Waste (garbage, dry leaves) should not be burnt.
What are the gaps in the existing system of SWM?
Collection
• Door-to-door collection has not been stabilized in many wards
• Removal of community bins is still in progress
• Provision of street litter bins is pending.
Segregation
• Non-segregation of wastes at the household level
• Where there is voluntary segregation by the households, the segregated waste is transported in the same truck as the non-segregated waste
• The mixed waste that is segregated at the compost site is done manually and it is next to impossible to remove all non-biodegradable wastes from this mixed waste. This results in very poor quality compost, which can be hazardous.
Transportation
• The trucks that are used to transport the waste are not covered adequately, causing spilling of waste on the city roads.
What happens to household toxic waste?
Currently household toxic waste, such as used batteries, light bulbs, plastics and other electronic waste is being dumped indiscriminately with the other waste. These items can be extremely toxic to the soil and water. Careful segregation and collection of this waste is required. Since this waste is not reusable, it must be recycled or disposed off. Government authorities and manufacturers thus need to strengthen facilities for recycling of hazardous waste from households.
A potential solution could be an exchange program of subsidized food supplies, clothes, educational tools, will incentivise hazardous household waste segregation and collection. This system has been hugely successful in Curitiba, Brazil.
What about Construction debris?
The BMP and its contractors are responsible for clearing construction debris. The clearance costs are borne entirely by the BMP within its jurisdiction.
Is there a policy in place with respect to construction debris clearance?
Yes. The Packages designed for waste management in the city include clearance of debris as well.
The contractors has to make arrangements to collect and transport all debris, loose stones, and such other material found in the package area and dispose these wastes at designated places. Under no circumstanc¬es should the debris be found in any place for more than two days. The debris should not be mixed with the garbage when collected and transported.